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Preview & Chat: The Washington Wizards

March 7, 2012 by Darius Soriano


Records: Lakers 23-15 (4th in West), Wizards 8-29 (14th in East)
Offensive ratings: Lakers 103.6 (15th in NBA), Wizards 99.2 (27th in NBA)
Defensive ratings: Lakers 100.8 (10th in NBA), Wizards 108.4 (27th in NBA)
Projected Starting Lineups: Lakers: Derek Fisher, Kobe Bryant, Metta World Peace, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum
Wizards: John Wall, Jordan Crawford, Chris Singleton, Trevor Booker, Javale McGee
Injuries: Lakers: none; Wizards: Rashard Lewis (out), Ronny Turiaf (out)

The Lakers Coming in: Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but the Lakers lost a road game that they shouldn’t have. Wait, I’m not done. They also played poorly, their role players conjured up a mix of tentative and bad performances, and with one of the big three not performing up to normal standard the team lost.

If you didn’t try to stop me at all in the above paragraph, you’ve likely missed many of the Lakers road games this season because that’s the formula for this team when they play away from the Staples Center. This team is a bad road team. What this means for the future (unless the trend changes) is a topic for a longer post. But, what it means tonight is pretty clear. A game against one of the worst teams in the league is no gimmie.

Why? Because it’s on the road.

The Wizards Coming in: In the last 8 games this team has played, they’ve been victorious once. That lone win was a three point triumph over the Cavs and the Wiz used that gained momentum to come out and get blown out by the Warriors two nights later by 20 points. Where the Lakers are a bad road team, the Wizards are just bad.

They have some good talent. John Wall is a former number one pick, is lightning quick with the ball and is in an athletic class (for point guards) that only Derrick Rose and Russel Westbrook preside in. Javale McGee is a springy young big man that can protect the rim, run the floor, and finish with the best of them when the ball is tossed to him anywhere near the basket. Andray Blatche is the type of player that Lamar Odom used to be. Long, rangy, and skilled in all facets of the game. This team also has hard workers that will do the dirty work.

So, why are they bad? They don’t always play hard. They don’t play smart. They try to play fast, but play too fast for their own good and force the issue. They don’t play as a team, with too many isolation sets that lead to a ranking of 2nd to last in assist rate. The talent (outside of Wall, who seems to not fall into this category) is mostly in the bodies of players that double as head cases. So, they lose more than they should and have breakdowns on both sides of the ball that allow the other team to take advantage.

Wizards Blogs: Truth About It and Bullets Forever offer up great coverage of the Wiz. Check ’em out.

Keys to game: So, tonight, we see what wins out. Do the Lakers’ road woes trump the Wizards’ ability to play losing basketball?

I’d throw in a bunch of X’s and O’s here, talk about match ups, what to expect in terms of trends, and basically explain what I thought could work or what we might see.

Not today, though. Because what matters most isn’t that the Lakers have advantages in the post, that the Wiz have no one to really guard Kobe, or that the Wiz transition game must be slowed down to make them a half court team.

No, what matters is that the Lakers must start to take some pride in their game when it travels. What matters is that the Lakers need to stop being a different team on the road than they are at home. If the Lakers decide they’ll be aggressive, that they’ll attack the defense by moving the ball, that they’ll simply concentrate harder they’ll be the better team tonight.

If their role players show the confidence in themselves that they do at home, if they take shots in rhythm, if they trust that they can perform to their abilities, the Lakers will be the better team tonight.

But, if the Lakers play the same way they have in most of their other road games this season this game will be a pick ’em. Yes, the Lakers played an overtime game last night. And the Wizards will test them in the open court and try to wear them down more. This is something to look for tonight. But, that can be overcome if the Lakers bring their home game with them to Washington and show some pride in the process. That’s certainly what I hope to see…because that’s what I think matters tonight.

Where you can watch: An early 4:00PM start time for this one on KCAL. Also listen live on ESPN Radio 710AM (and on Sirius XM 218)


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Comments

  1. Kirk Henderson (@KirkSeriousFace) says

    March 7, 2012 at 1:26 pm

    I am gleeful to be going to this game. Anything is possible tonight. Lakers winning by 50. Wizards scoring 130 points. Should be delightful, because there will be a looot of Lakers fans at the Verizon Center.

  2. exhelodrvr says

    March 7, 2012 at 1:33 pm

    The Road WoeYears.

  3. Kevin says

    March 7, 2012 at 2:17 pm

    Abbott released another Kobe laced tirade about clutch situations. While they have some merit is that all the guy writes about. Can’t you be a great player even if your not Jordan. He’s obviously trying to devalue his greatness status and try to bring him back down to earth.

    Can’t see how we stop john wall he runs after made baskets. Must establish the bigs early wear their frontline out.

  4. The Dude Abides says

    March 7, 2012 at 2:41 pm

    @3 – It’s curious that the TrueHoop guys had absolutely nothing to say about the Lakers vs. Heat. I read that that game broke viewing records for ABC. You can bet that if the Heat had won, there would have been a whole series of TrueHoop columns extolling the virtues of LeBron, D-Wade, et al while denigrating our Mamba. Instead…………..crickets.

  5. Edwin Gueco says

    March 7, 2012 at 3:06 pm

    4,

    We will win today because they got jolted by unexpected loss yesterday. They’ll pour all their frustrations on the Wizards.

  6. Kevin says

    March 7, 2012 at 3:07 pm

    Dude: I noticed that as well. Abbott only pops up after Kobe’s bad games and try to drill in our head his point. He’s a LeBron guy and a number cruncher who puts a little too much stock in certain category numbers.

    And to imply hero ball is all Kobe would be false. Dirk took bad shots but made them vs NY last night, Same with Rose vs Philly a few nights ago. Kobe is his whipping boy but that’s fine Kobe over any player everyone has there falws.

  7. T. Rogers says

    March 7, 2012 at 3:32 pm

    Guys like Abbott make me hate basketball stat geeks. If that is where sports writing is going I can do without it. When Larry Bird sings Kobe’s praises he makes Abbott look like a joke. When Michael Jordan gives Kobe his due saying he is the only current player who can be compared to him Abbott looks like a bigger joke. I think I’ll take their words over his.

  8. Avidon says

    March 7, 2012 at 3:38 pm

    I agree with Abbott’s point regarding Kobe’s clutchness being more of a myth rather than reality. Having said that, Abbott’s obsession with trying to make this point is ridiculous and annoying. I suppose it’s only fitting that as a Blazer fan he would go out of his way to talk down the Lakers and their star player.

  9. Kevin says

    March 7, 2012 at 3:43 pm

    Avidon: Wasn’t a myth in 2000 when he made that shot over pippen then threw the lob to Shaq. Or in 04 those 2 buzzer beaters. Blazers fans feel 2000 was there year but ya have to get over it. lol : )

  10. gsa says

    March 7, 2012 at 3:45 pm

    Step 1) go to espn.com

    Step 2) click on adblocker, click on block an ad on this page

    Step 3) click on the truehoop banner

    step 4) click ok and enjoy espn.com without reading anything henry has to write ever again.

    You’re welcome.

  11. KenOak says

    March 7, 2012 at 3:46 pm

    Dude @5

    You’re so right on that. What’s worse is that Kobe can’t do anything right by many Lakers fans either. He has brought this franchise 5 championships and 7 finals appearances. Just as many rings as Magic Johnson and with less talent around him. Yes. I said it. Kobe has only played with one hall of famer. (Excluding Karl Malone and Gary Payton who were only rentals for a year.)

    So, it’s not only some media people and ESPN…
    It’s so bad that John Hollinger created a friggen stat to elevate Jordan and Lebron to a lesser extent. Magic is the GOAT, in my opinion, but go take a look at his career PER as compared to MJ’s.

    Whatever. /rant off

  12. Avidon says

    March 7, 2012 at 3:55 pm

    Kevin,

    I am 99% certain that Abbott sits there in a dark room every night and watches that playoff series prior to writing his next TrueHoop entry.

  13. Kevin says

    March 7, 2012 at 4:00 pm

    Avidon: He may put the 04 finals in after that. Portland is tough every year one of the lakers true rivals. I always expect a loss at Rose Garden.

  14. sbdunks says

    March 7, 2012 at 4:03 pm

    I think Abbott’s a good writer, but man, his anti-Kobe in the clutch agenda is pitiful. It’s not that his argument is wrong, but he writes up posts denigrating Kobe just about every other week, and has been doing so for YEARS now. I’m surprised some head honchos at ESPN haven’t pulled him aside to ask him to layoff. Despite the validity of his argument, his incessant need to put it out there takes away from his quality as a writer.

  15. The Dude Abides says

    March 7, 2012 at 4:06 pm

    KenOak, good points. I do think that Pau Gasol is a first ballot Hall of Famer, though. He was probably a Hall of Famer before he ever got to the Lakers, as he and Dirk were arguably the two best players in European history while Pau was still playing for Memphis. Anyway, let’s see if our 4th through 9th guys can do better than 5-23 from the field tonight.

  16. Aaron says

    March 7, 2012 at 4:06 pm

    Re Abbott:

    As we’ve said many times on this site… Henry Abbott thinks Kobe is very clutch and one of the greatest players to ever play the game. He simply says correctly (over and over) that Kobe doesn’t play smart and plays selfishly down the stretch taking needless difficult shots against double teams. That’s why his clutch numbers are so poor.

  17. Glove says

    March 7, 2012 at 4:13 pm

    I am interested and will be looking to see if Lakers not named Kobe, Pau or Bynum bouce back and have a decent game tonight.

  18. Aaron says

    March 7, 2012 at 4:13 pm

    Btw… As many predicted months ago… Our best PG GLock as soon as Blake came back plays ten minutes a game now and only at shooting guard. Again… Our coaching staff isn’t stupid. I maintain we are hiding him 😉

  19. AusPhil says

    March 7, 2012 at 4:29 pm

    Dude – That was indeed egregiously obvious after the Heat game. Just nothing to be seen by HA. In fact, nothing about the foul at the ASG, or the 3 games with the mask with great (and efficient) numbers.

  20. Kevin says

    March 7, 2012 at 4:30 pm

    That’s 3 plays where Metta has gotten beat. It always seems he’s purposely out of position.

  21. The Dude Abides says

    March 7, 2012 at 4:31 pm

    Drew has absolutely no energy tonight. I guess those 41 1/2 minutes last night were pretty draining. He’s not even rotating a single step when guys are driving to the rim for dunks.

  22. James says

    March 7, 2012 at 4:31 pm

    Bynum major sulkage on not getting the ball on several posessions in a row (with good reason) and then responds with the laziest rotation ever on the Young dunk

  23. James says

    March 7, 2012 at 4:36 pm

    0-6 on the flotsam count

  24. Serik says

    March 7, 2012 at 4:42 pm

    Will someone outside of our big 3 make a field goal? I hope so…

  25. Kevin says

    March 7, 2012 at 4:44 pm

    I like how now when Bynum catches in the post he quickly pivots and surveys the floor. Like how Kobe does

  26. The Dude Abides says

    March 7, 2012 at 4:45 pm

    Ha! Murphy hits a three to raise the flotsam count to 1-8.
    h/t to James for the apt terminology 😉

  27. nimble says

    March 7, 2012 at 4:46 pm

    Do you realize what happens to Bynum with bench?

  28. Avidon says

    March 7, 2012 at 4:46 pm

    Dude,

    Sabonis was better than either Dirk or Pau.

  29. AusPhil says

    March 7, 2012 at 4:51 pm

    McRoberts in the first half!

  30. Lou says

    March 7, 2012 at 4:52 pm

    Avidon- Thats a good one.

  31. KenOak says

    March 7, 2012 at 4:54 pm

    Sabonis was an amazing player before the injury bug got him. Seriously an all-time great.

  32. exhelodrvr says

    March 7, 2012 at 4:54 pm

    It’s too bad Sabonis didn’t make it to the NBA before his knees were shot. When healthy, he was exceptional.

  33. Rudy says

    March 7, 2012 at 4:55 pm

    Am I the only one that sees that Kobe is a bad pick and roll defender? He gets completely taken out of the play every time leaving the dribbler with a wide open look. I can’t figure out if this is the center’s fault for letting the dribbler turn the corner or if Kobe is just taking bad angles.

  34. The Dude Abides says

    March 7, 2012 at 4:55 pm

    @29 avidon – Yes, but his peak only lasted a couple years in the mid-1980s until he ruptured his achilles. Looks like our bench guys are picking it up now.

  35. Glove says

    March 7, 2012 at 4:59 pm

    Kobe to McRoberts for the oop Slam

  36. The Dude Abides says

    March 7, 2012 at 5:02 pm

    Holy crap – Fish with the three!

  37. James says

    March 7, 2012 at 5:06 pm

    anyone reckon the Wiz have any set plays?

  38. Aaron says

    March 7, 2012 at 5:06 pm

    Dude,
    It doesn’t look like a lack of energy… It looks like Bynum is practicing the old Shaq theology. “If you don’t feed the dog he won’t guard the yard.”

  39. The Dude Abides says

    March 7, 2012 at 5:09 pm

    Aaron, maybe a combination of both. I was actually hoping MB would leave McBob in the game.

  40. The Dude Abides says

    March 7, 2012 at 5:12 pm

    First half flotsam update: 9-22 FG, 4-6 3FG, 3-4 FT, 25 Pts

  41. Glove says

    March 7, 2012 at 5:15 pm

    At the half Lakers not named Kobe, Pau or Bynum
    9-22 for 25 points. Lakers lead 64-49. So far, much better performance than last night (but it is the Wizards). McRoberts even saw some playing time.

  42. Serik says

    March 7, 2012 at 5:23 pm

    I think if we’ll get 40% FG percentage from our “other guys”, we’ll have a very very good chance to win against anybody. Would be interesting to see the statistics, though maybe this 40% has never happened this season…

  43. Omar says

    March 7, 2012 at 5:32 pm

    link for the game?

  44. James says

    March 7, 2012 at 5:34 pm

    nice to get some favourable calls for once tonight

  45. James says

    March 7, 2012 at 5:35 pm

    did Fisher just beat John Wall to a lost ball?? that does not compute

  46. Kevin says

    March 7, 2012 at 5:38 pm

    Sad to see a guy with talent like John Wall go to waste. He’ll never thrive in washington with this roster

  47. Joel says

    March 7, 2012 at 5:39 pm

    I don’t understand why pau settles for turn around jumpshots in the paint instead of hook shots, especially when he’s defended by a much smaller defender.

  48. The Dude Abides says

    March 7, 2012 at 5:40 pm

    Only two, maybe three keepers on the Wizards roster. Wall, Booker, and half of Jevale McGee/Jordan Crawford.

  49. Kevin says

    March 7, 2012 at 5:45 pm

    Kobe got bored again and clanked 2 jumpers. One thing I can say he doesn’t care about FG% like a lot of players

  50. James says

    March 7, 2012 at 5:49 pm

    its happening again…

  51. Paul L says

    March 7, 2012 at 5:51 pm

    why can this team not blow anybody out?

  52. The Dude Abides says

    March 7, 2012 at 5:51 pm

    I can’t watch.

  53. KenOak says

    March 7, 2012 at 5:51 pm

    Man this Lakers team…

  54. Glove says

    March 7, 2012 at 5:55 pm

    Lakers cannot put a away. That was a painful third quarter to watch.

  55. Kevin says

    March 7, 2012 at 5:55 pm

    I fail to believe a couple Kobe shots demoralized this team.

    Not showing any heart for the 2nd night in a row

  56. mindcrime says

    March 7, 2012 at 5:55 pm

    Second game in a row where LA builds a big lead, and Kobe goes into “we’re ahead so I’m getting mine” mode and shoots the other team back into it. The ball stops moving, the offense grinds to a halt, and if Kobe isn’t hitting, LA is toast. Identical recipie for disaster to what happened last night. I am a huge Kobe defender and he gets far too much criticism for being “selfish” but these past two games feed the narrative

  57. exhelodrvr says

    March 7, 2012 at 5:57 pm

    Hey, stop complaining and appreciate the wonder of Kobe’s game!

  58. AusPhil says

    March 7, 2012 at 5:58 pm

    Man, that was a dismal display in the 3rd. After such a solid first half too. It almost defies belief. Obviously hard to know what is happening without actually being in the players’ heads, but surely this is a mental thing to some degree. They can’t seem to grind an opponant into the dirt once they have them on the ground.

  59. Kevin says

    March 7, 2012 at 5:58 pm

    I’m really crying right now. crying laughing lol

  60. James says

    March 7, 2012 at 5:59 pm

    throughly embarassing

  61. mindcrime says

    March 7, 2012 at 6:00 pm

    exhelo–I appreciate the wonder of his game–I love Kobe–but there is no excuse for him having almost twice as many FG attempts as Bynum and Gasol combined–zero, none, nada zip

    Bynum 4 for 6
    Gasol 5 for 8

    Kobe–8 for 25? 25?????

  62. James says

    March 7, 2012 at 6:02 pm

    what is kobe thinking

  63. exhelodrvr says

    March 7, 2012 at 6:03 pm

    60) mindcrime
    But Bynum and Gasol are only a combined 8-13 shooting, and there is no way the Lakers win their last 5 titles without Kobe!

  64. AusPhil says

    March 7, 2012 at 6:03 pm

    exhelo – With a 2nd half display like this (thus far), it is hard to appreciate your sarcasm! Although I am impressed with you slipping it in to lighten the mood here.

    I am somewhat in disbelief seeing this happen a 2nd night in a row. Back-to-backs against high lottery teams should not play out like this at all.

  65. Joel says

    March 7, 2012 at 6:05 pm

    Mike brown is going to have to stop letting kobe do whatever he wants whenever he wants to.

  66. LBc says

    March 7, 2012 at 6:06 pm

    let gasol take over kobe damn!!

  67. mindcrime says

    March 7, 2012 at 6:06 pm

    exhelo–ok, sorry for missing your sarcasm

    Kobe dribbles into the paint–easy layoff to Bynum for a dunk available–he shoots anyway–the look on Bynum’s face and his body language says it all—he doesn’t understand why he didn’t get the ball—and neither do I…

    Then at the other end…give up a three and Kobe acts like it’s everyone else’s fault—what is going on with him right now?

    I have tickets to the LA/Wolves game Friday night, but this is making me want to give them away…

  68. James says

    March 7, 2012 at 6:09 pm

    Mike Brown should be fired for this game alone

  69. Aaron says

    March 7, 2012 at 6:10 pm

    I know people are going to think I’m crazy… But I love Kobe. He just will keep shooting. You need to respect that as a competitor. He is fearless and it’s afraid to keep missing.

  70. Glove says

    March 7, 2012 at 6:10 pm

    Lakers continue their Jekyll and Hyde act.

  71. Rudy says

    March 7, 2012 at 6:10 pm

    We are all big Kobe fans but there’s is no excuse for the kind of game he’s played tonight. How many more fade aways and jumpers do you have to miss before you stop and just pound the ball inside on every possession?

  72. Anonymous says

    March 7, 2012 at 6:11 pm

    Lakers folding…haha

  73. KenOak says

    March 7, 2012 at 6:11 pm

    I have never seen Kobe this off two nights in a row. This is ridiculous.

  74. Joe says

    March 7, 2012 at 6:12 pm

    Yea this team is a real joke. About to have two back to back loses to trash teams. Good start after the break has been wasted and then some

  75. mindcrime says

    March 7, 2012 at 6:13 pm

    Aaron–I hope for your sake that you are being sarcastic too

  76. exhelodrvr says

    March 7, 2012 at 6:14 pm

    What does Bynum think he’s doing?!

  77. Glove says

    March 7, 2012 at 6:15 pm

    Big Man Andrew Bynum with a nice move for the layup.

  78. harold says

    March 7, 2012 at 6:20 pm

    I thought Kobe sorta turned a mental corner when he said we were a post team…

    Oh well.

  79. Rudy says

    March 7, 2012 at 6:21 pm

    There better be changes after this game. What else does the FO need to decide we need to make moves now?

  80. Anonymous says

    March 7, 2012 at 6:23 pm

    Game, set, match. I’m done watching this crappy team. Good luck in the playoffs cuz they’ll definitely need it.

  81. Aaron says

    March 7, 2012 at 6:23 pm

    Mindcrime,
    Sadly I’m a weirdo. I just am in awe of Kobes testicular fortitude. I was not being sarcastic. Two nights in a row he keeps jacking up shots when our bigs are unstoppable down low. I reespect it in a weird way.

  82. harold says

    March 7, 2012 at 6:24 pm

    Is Kobe forcing a trade?

  83. Busboys4me says

    March 7, 2012 at 6:25 pm

    Go ahead Darius and the rest of FBG writers put a positive spin on this one. You hate trade talk, you hate us talking about the age of tm in key positions. But the fact of the matter is this team sucks against young, run and gun teams. You won’t see Washington or Detroit in the playoffs. But you will see OKC, Portland, and Denver because they are also those type teams.

    It’s time for you and the Lakers FO to realize, as presently constituted, the Lakers are not going anywhere in the playoffs. Beasley and Sessions Please!!!

  84. Glove says

    March 7, 2012 at 6:26 pm

    Lakers rebound fail times 2

  85. exhelodrvr says

    March 7, 2012 at 6:26 pm

    How many times in his career is it now that Kobe has gotten 30 points?

  86. LBc says

    March 7, 2012 at 6:27 pm

    I need to see some new faces in laker jerseys i’m done with this team.

  87. Kevin says

    March 7, 2012 at 6:27 pm

    You want to know why Wizards got that offensive rebound

    Lakers weren’t meant to win this game

  88. Tim says

    March 7, 2012 at 6:27 pm

    Lakers should just miss the playoff entirely…maybe they can get a high draft pick…haha

  89. Dan in OC says

    March 7, 2012 at 6:29 pm

    Darius, please do us all a favor and do not recap this game tonight. There are really no words to describe what happened, so let’s just move on…

  90. Busboys4me says

    March 7, 2012 at 6:30 pm

    Kobe states: “We are a low post team” and promptly takes 56 shots the next two games!!!

    This is worse than any loss this season. This is equivalent to Cleveland last year!!! WTF!!!

  91. LBc says

    March 7, 2012 at 6:32 pm

    wow the Detroit pistons and the Washington wizards

    we would get swept first round with this team.

  92. exhelodrvr says

    March 7, 2012 at 6:32 pm

    raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens …

  93. Aaron says

    March 7, 2012 at 6:32 pm

    Everyone relax. The last two games changed nothing just as the Miami game meant nothing. Our roster is what it is right now regardless of how many wins and losses in a row. We lost a tough game last night and we ran out of gas in a way in the second half. Yes a big part of it is our lack of athletes on the perimeter and the fact we continue to not get our bugs the ball in the post.

  94. Anonymous says

    March 7, 2012 at 6:32 pm

    Aaron, you respect jacking up shot by shot without any concern for your teammates? You’re probably that guy at the gym who loves to shoot every time down court w/o passing the ball once. Yeah, I got it.

  95. mindcrime says

    March 7, 2012 at 6:32 pm

    Aaron–there is nothing courageous about this…in fact, Kobe showed fear tonight–fear of letting his teammates (Pau and Drew) have some control over the outcome of the game….maybe (I cannot believe I’m saying this) fear of having to acknowledge that this team would be better if Pau and Drew took more combined shots than Kobe once in awhile…Kobe was selfish and afraid tonight, period

  96. Glove says

    March 7, 2012 at 6:34 pm

    I know what just happened, not sure words can describe it. Second straight bad and embarrassing loss. This was a whole team loss. Sigh.

    Points in the Paint Wizards 52- Lakers 36

  97. Kevin says

    March 7, 2012 at 6:36 pm

    BALL MOVEMENT 1st Qtr. 29 – 2nd Qtr. 35

    KOBE BALL HOGGING 3rd. Qtr. 19 – 4th Qtr. 18

  98. LBc says

    March 7, 2012 at 6:37 pm

    mike brown needs to grow a pair and put kobe in check sometimes.

  99. Avidon says

    March 7, 2012 at 6:37 pm

    Did my last comment get deleted or is it the site acting up?

  100. VoR says

    March 7, 2012 at 6:39 pm

    Some of the Lakers’ obvious problems are tough to fix, e.g. weak bench and getting out of the salary cap jam and staying competitive.

    However there are others that should be easy to fix, e.g. Bynum 6-8; Kobe 9-31.

    Frankly, I bet Bynum wants a trade at this point.

  101. Anonymous says

    March 7, 2012 at 6:39 pm

    Its gotten bad .. Im never one to criticize kobe, but we win this game if he doesnt keep jacking up shots when hes cold. Bynum turned the ball over a few times but still was our best option on offense tonight.. UGH. 2 games in a row like this.

    Cmon front office. Make a freaking move already. If the Lakers stand pat and dont pick up any help just to save 5 million out of their 30 million in profits.. Ill be boycotting the team. Ive been a Lakers fan my whole life but the FO has already wasted enough of Kobes prime. Get on the phone and make something happen. Jesus

  102. Scott says

    March 7, 2012 at 6:39 pm

    Not convinced Beasley or Sessions would have changed either of these losses. The Lakers road malaise goes a lot deeper than that, and I have no clue what the answer is.

  103. Anonymous says

    March 7, 2012 at 6:40 pm

    We need to change this website to forumblueandfoolsgold cuz that’s what this lakers team is fool’s gold damn it!

  104. Kevin says

    March 7, 2012 at 6:41 pm

    Kobe has to realize when he chucks up shots his teammates start getting disengaged

    Sad part is his teammates pass him the ball knowing he’s going to shoot.

  105. exhelodrvr says

    March 7, 2012 at 6:44 pm

    VoR,
    “Bynum 6-8; Kobe 9-31. ”

    What, ‘Bynum 3-4, Kobe 10-35.’?

  106. Edwin Gueco says

    March 7, 2012 at 6:50 pm

    The pattern goes on, Lakers lead big in the first half and then let it go away in the 2nd half. The 2nd unit starts to regress, the starters come in for rescue but it’s all outside shooting and no defense against athletic opponents. boom game is over with a loss again on the road. It is a disease. MBrown should rest Kobe and see what a rest can do for his teammates. Is there a coaching with this team or they’re on autopilot?

  107. VoR says

    March 7, 2012 at 6:53 pm

    Exhelo – I think Bynum just needs to focus on D and getting boards. I figure two shots a game is feeding the big dog enough.

  108. Don Ford says

    March 7, 2012 at 6:54 pm

    Missed the game, so I just now checked the box score, which said it all, really:

    I saw (#1) the score, (#2) the FG-FGA for Kobe, Gasol, and Bynum, and (#3) the 4th quarter team scoring (outscored 18-25).

    Came over and just read all these comments, which sadly confirmed the obvious. Thanks, exhelodrvr, for keeping me from yelling at the monitor (sigh) . . .

  109. KT says

    March 7, 2012 at 6:55 pm

    Kobe’s 31 shots notwithstanding, T. Booker and K. Seraphin had career nights. WSH win was a fluke, but a W is a W and an L is an L. Talking about playing to level of the competition. Ugh.

  110. Kenny T says

    March 7, 2012 at 6:55 pm

    These last 2 games have been just mind boggling. I love Kobe to death as a player, but he has been just tuuurrible. If your shot is not falling, find other ways to help your team, Kobe! The Wiz played well, and they have some fine young talent, but the Lakers threw this game away. For a team with so-called title aspirations, this is totally unacceptable. A really sad display.

  111. Edwin Gueco says

    March 7, 2012 at 6:55 pm

    Another interesting situation, no Rashard Lewis supposedly their best veteran player. Lakers made unknown players like: Seraphim, Young, Booker and Mason as All Stars. PJ, please come back. Whoaaaa!

  112. Busboys4me says

    March 7, 2012 at 7:02 pm

    @ Scott
    Both Fisher and Blake played slow and old as the young guns ran up and down the court on them again. Beasley would at least attempt to score from the SF position. The Lakers had 10 points (on 4/13), 6 rebounds, 2 assist, 1 steal, no blocks, 1 turnover and 3 fouls from the SF position tonight. Any help will be better than what happened tonight. They need youth who want to play, not individuals who feel disrespected when the get have to come off the bench. They need a squad that pushes the first unit. You remember the BENCH MOB. Farmar, Sasha, Radmonavic, Lamar, and Mbenga or Chris Mihm ran the hell out of the second unit. That’s what this teams needs. A unit that wants to get out there a prove the want to play.

  113. Aaron says

    March 7, 2012 at 7:02 pm

    Mindcrime/Annonamous,
    I should be more clear. I never said it was the best thing for the team. And I’m actually a PG who never likes to shoot. Probably why I respect Kobe for being able to continue to shoot with two all star big men on his team. He is crazy… And I like it. Same reason he can miss ten shots in a row and have the fearlessness to take the last one. We need to take the good with the bad with Kobe. As he ages it will of course be difficult. As Phil Jackson told Bill Simmons in his book of basketball… “I don’t want to be the guy who coaches Kobe when he is no longer Kobe.”

    Without an NBA PG to run our offense the ball ends up in Kobe’s hands most of the time. He is a scorer not a PG. Its like putting a bottle of whiskey in front of an alcoholic. I dont begrudge Kobe for jacking up shots and I never will. He will look different when he is playing with an NBA after the trade deadline.

  114. L8kr4eva says

    March 7, 2012 at 7:05 pm

    May be that Ric Bucher guy was right, trade kobe !

  115. Joel says

    March 7, 2012 at 7:05 pm

    Forget the bench and fisher/mwp the problems begin with Brown and Kobe. Kobe continuously shoots this team out of games and Mike brown doesn’t have a clue what to do. Kobe doesn’t need to turn into magic, nash or even lebron, but pass the damn ball and run a play.

    Kobe’s assist numbers decrease every month. Kobe should not be shooting 24+ times a night when you are a so-called post team. Forget the trade rumors because Dwight doesn’t want to play in L.A. and Kobe is the reason why.

  116. Kevin says

    March 7, 2012 at 7:06 pm

    It’s almost like Kobe is saying there trading one of these guys so “F IT”

    Kobe was so selfish tonight. And either teammates need to STOP passing him the ball when he shoots 5-6 times ni a row

    OR BROWN NEEDS TO BENCH KOBE.

  117. Aaron says

    March 7, 2012 at 7:08 pm

    *actual NBA PG

  118. rr says

    March 7, 2012 at 7:12 pm

    Couple of points here:

    1. I am OK with peope criticizing Kobe. As was the case after the 6/28 game in Denver, he deserves it. But I would prefer if people avoid reveling in it/being sarcastic about it. This is a Lakers site. If you want to be sarcastic about Kobe’s shooting numbers, there are plenty of other places to do it.

    2. I think this underscores yet again the need to get a PG who will run the offense and use some posessions. That would get Kobe off the ball organically, get the bigs some cookies, and get Kobe’s USG back down around 32 or so. One reason this happens (along with Kobe’s stubbornness and Brown’s inability to deal with that) is that Blake and Fisher can’t create shots or instigate sequences off the bounce.

  119. Tra says

    March 7, 2012 at 7:13 pm

    Frankly, I bet Bynum wants a trade at this point.
    __________

    Couldn’t agree more. Though he probably won’t admit it publicly … Sh*t is about to hit the fan now.

    Let me preface this by stating that I, just as several others on the Blog, am a Kobe Supporter. But definitely not an Apologist / Worshiper.

    Can’t wait to hear from them now.

  120. Aaron says

    March 7, 2012 at 7:16 pm

    Remember when I said a couple years ago we should re-sign Farmar and promise him the starting position? Well this is from Hollinger on young players contenders should trade for…

    Jordan Farmar: I’ve always been intrigued by Farmar’s talent but he seemed to be heading nowhere fast. This year he’s finally figured things out, it seems, averaging 19.5 points per 40 minutes and blowing away his career best in true shooting percentage at 60.0. Unfortunately, he’s also backing up Deron Williams and would be better served by going someplace where he could start.

    He’s still just 25 and has a favorable contract, although he may opt out of it and become a free agent; if so, keep an eye on him as an under-the-radar free agent. In the meantime, it’s worth investigating if he can be had as a rider to any blockbuster deal involving the Nets and an unnamed Florida franchise.

  121. rr says

    March 7, 2012 at 7:19 pm

    From Andy K:

    ___________________

    Trevor Booker had eight offensive rebounds himself,

    And finally, Mike Brown needs to regain control of his team. Players need to be held accountable for not adhering to the game plan.

    _____________________

  122. Avidon says

    March 7, 2012 at 7:20 pm

    rr,

    You’re 100% correct – this is a Lakers blog. Not a Kobe blog. As long as people support their point of view intelligently, there should be no problem with pointing out poor play from any player.

  123. rr says

    March 7, 2012 at 7:22 pm

    Can’t wait to hear from them now.

    ___

    Seems to me this is the kind of thing that mods should discourage. All of us have people we could call out. Thought this site was not about stuff like that.

  124. rr says

    March 7, 2012 at 7:24 pm

    Aaron,

    dr rayeye and I brought up Farmar yesterday. It makes sense. Dude Abides suggested, perhaps correctly, that NJ will keep him as DWill insurance.

  125. Joel says

    March 7, 2012 at 7:26 pm

    122. I agree that having a pg will naturally get the ball out of kobe’s hands which is a good thing since he doesn’t create for others as much as he should.

    However, only an all-star caliber pg is going to accomplish that. A Ramon sessions or Kirk Hindrich will just continue to defer to Kobe.

    I understood that kobe shot so much at the beginning of the year. But not i think he only cares about winning if its winning they way he wants to. And thats scoring 40 points a night. It’s also the shots that kobe is taking. They are all either fall away jumpers, contested 3 pointers, shots over double teams, most of which he’s the only one that has touched the ball on that particular possession. In result, the offense stagnates, the offense is out of rhythm and the defense suffers.

  126. khjohn says

    March 7, 2012 at 7:31 pm

    My theory is that this laker team has 2 major chemistry problems,one on offense and one on defense.

    Our offensive problem has already been detailed above. The shot distribution in the fourth quater of games needs to reflect the fact that we are now a low-post team. A bAlanced offensive approach should replace our current “get it to the closer” mentality.

    On defense I believe that the core problem has not changed over the last 2 years. We are too slow!!! More specifically the combination of Bynum and Gasol (on defense only!) does not work because both have slow feet. Most of our problems with opposing point guards are due to their lack of speed (they cant consistently help and recover to their man). If we continue to start Bynum at center due to his offensive skill, he should be teamed with a fast footed and athletic power forward. Not Gasol who is a step slower than he is.

  127. Kevin says

    March 7, 2012 at 7:41 pm

    The bench is a major problem that’s when Nick Young, Booker went on their run in the 3rd quarter.

    The thing is expectations went sky high after the win vs Miami w/o Bosh. When in reality that was just a pride game.

    This core is done together I’ve been saying it since I entered this board. major move is coming

  128. Glove says

    March 7, 2012 at 7:46 pm

    Jordan Farmar game winning three beats the Clippers.

  129. T. Rogers says

    March 7, 2012 at 7:47 pm

    I tried to give Kobe a pass last night. But not tonight. This was jaw dropping. And short of benching Kobe what can Mike Brown do? Phil Jackson couldn’t even stop Kobe from getting trigger happy at times.

  130. Isolate says

    March 7, 2012 at 7:47 pm

    Speaking of Farmar… just hit a three with .2 seconds left to beat the Clippers.

  131. Mico says

    March 7, 2012 at 7:52 pm

    Unfortunate… 22 Missed shots. To tie the record set by himself as well.

    Is the defense really that piled on that he had no other option to pass it to?

  132. Edwin Gueco says

    March 7, 2012 at 7:53 pm

    131,

    To add to your point, kobe, fisher and mwp are also slow in switching their cover and fighting over screens. Fisher is always left behind by an athletic PG. What is also not being highlighted aside from Kobe jacking up shots, Bynum TO’s which are 7 that started at the end of 3rd Q. I agree with Kevin, MBrown should rest Kobe for the next few games to adjust his bearings. When he comes back, hopefully Lakers have a new PG.

    Gasol got a better feedback after talking to Mitch about the trade rumors:

    http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/story/_/id/7656496/pau-gasol-los-angeles-lakers-gm-mitch-kupchak-discuss-trade-rumors

  133. Ken O says

    March 7, 2012 at 8:05 pm

    Mike Brown is a joke. He allows teams to go on 15 to 5 runs two games in a row. No time outs, no changing of horrible 2nd unit players. Nothing. He just walks up and down the court looking like a fool. Kobe has no respect because Brown is scared of him. This team is a joke. This is what happens when you put non-basketball people in charge of your team.

  134. Darius Soriano says

    March 7, 2012 at 8:28 pm

    The recap is up.

    http://www.forumblueandgold.com/2012/03/07/lakerswizards-apocalypse-now/

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