Mike Brown has named his starting point guard for the “foreseeable future” and it will be Steve Blake. From Dave McMenamin at ESPN Los Angeles:
“I don’t want to guarantee anything or put anything in stone because I don’t know if it’s healthy to do that all the time,” Lakers coach Mike Brown said following the team’s film session and light voluntary practice on Saturday. “It’s definitely Steve’s job for the foreseeable future and it might be his job for the rest of the year. I don’t know.”
More from the head coach:
“The tough part about it, and everybody is going through it, is I don’t know if we can have any more contact practices,” Brown said. “You’d like to be able to have some contact practices so you can coach in that situation, but the reality of it is I don’t know if we’ll be able to afford to do that with the way our schedule is.”
Surely there will be rumblings about Sessions not starting from a fanbase that has pined for an upgrade at PG for what seems like years. However, Brown’s reasoning is sound in this case and a bit of patience is needed.
Sessions will play plenty of minutes (he played 19 in a game where he’d learned plays from an email exchange with the coaches the night before), so whether he starts or not really isn’t relevant. In fact, whether he finishes games – at least right away – isn’t relevant either.
What does matter is getting Sessions on the same page as all his teammates, a point he made himself in post game interviews. Sessions is a point guard in the truest sense of the word. He wants to be able to have command over the Lakers sets, know the strengths of his teammates, and learn how to maximize the effectiveness of himself and his teammates within the schemes he’s asked to run. This, of course, takes time.
Asking him to come in and start right away wouldn’t be putting him in the best position to succeed, even if he could still provide good play in the process. Allowing him to learn as he goes and do the things that he does best when he comes into the game – push the ball and run P&R’s – actually fits best into a reserve role right now. Over time that will likely change, but give it some time.
Right now, though, it’s good to simply have him on board. In Friday’s win against the T’Wolves he had an obvious impact with his speed and ability to get into the lane. He collapsed the defense and created spot up chances for his teammates while making all of his baskets in the paint. The Lakers haven’t had a PG that could make those claims with any consistency for a long time. Whether he starts or not, I’m just thankful we’ll be able to say this about the Lakers game after game moving forward.
DexterBrylle says
Good read. I see Sessions starting at least 2-4 games before the playoffs start. But really it doesn’t matter as he and Steve Blake will share some time on the court together. With that being said, can the Lakers FO still sign Gilbert Arenas? *greedy Lakers fan here* LOL
tviper says
Couldn’t disagree more. You don’t put an inferior lineup on the floor for lack of practices. Pretty sure you don’t need “contact practice” to run a pick and roll. Putting turnover machine Blake out there with the first unit not only is unnecessary sabotage, but it limits the number of minutes a clearly superior player can receive. Can’t say this is unexpected, though, because MB has been burying GLock all year even though we have no bench scoring. Genius, that.
Ken says
So let’s see? Brown replaced a bad starting point guard with a bad starting point guard and that is good because?
Sessions dazed confused and with zero knowledge of the basic, high school Brown offense is miles better then Fisher and or Blake.
Perhaps it would be a better idea to get Sessions on the floor with the other starters before the playoffs. It’s called building a team there Brown.
Brown remains a clueless coach who should never be running this team.
Kevin says
tviper: Sessions averages more TO’s per 36 than Blake does. He’s perfect for the bench. Lakers have enough impact players starting the starting lineup is a exclusively a post up offense.
Since Ramon can create off the dribble a Sessions-Goudelock-Barnes-Murphy-Bynum lineup gives him space it’ll be more effective.
If Sessions proves he can hit a jumpshot as consistent as Blake (which isn’t saying much) he should start.
Darius Soriano says
#2. Lineups are about how 5 players fit together not the individual brilliance of the guys on the floor. Don’t see how claims of “inferior” lineups can be made after 19 minutes of floor time for Sessions.
#3. Can you explain why Brown has a “high school” offense? I’d like to know what sets you see them running, how they compare to other professional teams and how they’re not up to standard. Also, while I didn’t bring it up in the body of the post, defense and how Sessions picks up those schemes matter here too. Brown mentioned after practice yesterday that Sessions’ responsibilities were defense, then defense, then maybe more defense. He then said that Sessions would help on offense through his natural ability but there would still be a learning curve. So, I think we do need to keep both sides of the ball in mind when making critiques.
Jim C. says
I tend to agree with tviper, but for different reasons.
I can see the benefit of allowing Sessions to have time in practices to learn the offense, and that having Blake start might be the best lineup in the short term, but does anyone out there seriously think that this is the best LONG TERM plan? Yes, we’ll have some short term silver lining by having Sessions be a sparkplug with the second unit, but that’s a given.
The Laker FO clearly intended Sessions to be our starter. I don’t know how they could have more clearly indicated that than by trading the current incumbent, Fisher, away.
In fact, Fisher should have been our third string “break glass in case of emergencies only” PG all year long. Blake has been a clearly better PG than Fisher running the offense all year and was even a small defensive upgrade.
And GLock was obviously a huge booster shot of adrenalin, floor spacing and speed whenever he came into games. But instead, time when we could have gotten GLock more comfortable in the offense and transitioned Fisher into a “sage mentor” role was wasted by him remaining the starter all year long.
Seriously, how much worse would this team be RIGHT NOW had Black or GLock been the starter?
The problem with having Blake continue to start is that you’re not getting Sessions minutes playing with the starting unit prior to the playoffs. There’s nothing that’s going to do a better job of teaching Sessions how best to run the offense than by having him RUN THE OFFENSE with the starters.
We’re not playing to be the best regular season team here. Yes, tossing Sessions into the starting unit when he doesn’t know the offense yet and hasn’t had practice times with the team might cause some short term issues and maybe even make us lose a game or two that we would have otherwise won.
But it would accelerate Sessions coming up to speed. The games could be de facto practices in addition to counting in the standings.
And it will make us that much better prepared for the postseason having 25 games or so where everyone plays where they are INTENDED TO END UP PLAYING in the lineup.
I mean, by the logic of not starting Sessions because he hasn’t won the offense, are we going to bury Jordan Hill behind the decomposing corpse of Troy Murphy for the next 20 games?
In my opinion, there should be a clear succession plan. Something to the effect of, “We’re going to start Blake for the next 5-6 games to give Sessions a chance to watch film sessions, games, etc. while talking to the coaches and doing a crash course in learning what’s going to be required of him, but we brought him in to be our eventual starter and we’re going to need him to pick up the reins and learn on the fly before the playoffs begin.”
Don’t coddle the team. CHALLENGE them. Put it out there that Sessions is the best PG on the roster and the challenge is to learn to communicate and work together on the court with the odds stacked against them.
Psychology 101.
Edwin Gueco says
Aaron, correction please….his name is Ramon not Ramone. The latter refers to a woman’s name.
Why is Ramon Sessions on the 2nd unit? I think MBrown is correct with this approach. 1) Blake is familiar with the plays at this time, RS is still learning. I heard from 710 that he had only few hours to digest the Lakers plays last Friday. This is his first practice, still viewing films and have not settled yet with his new team and we’re asking him to load a lot of responsibilities; 2) Sessions is viewed as the better PG based on stats, on perception but not yet proven as a Laker. Don’t you think he should earn the “starter” status based on accomplishments not based on perceptions?; 3) What is really the difference between a starter and a 2nd unit PG? If Blake could not shake and bake in the 1st Q or get into foul trouble, RS comes in as the sub. Isn’t that great too, your impact PG player comes in rescue and reserved him for a specialist therapy job?; 4), We have been saying in this blog that our bench needs help. Here is RS to help the 2nd unit organized. In the first place, it is not pure 2nd unit because there is a mixture of Kobe + one of the bigs when they start the 2nd Q. If you also noticed, our 2nd unit has been improving even before RS arrived. The lead increases with infusion of G-lock, Barnes and Drew. Sometimes their problem is sustaining the lead.; 5) lastly, when D’Fish started in the last three games, who is the PG in the 4th Q? It is Blake, isn’t it? Why, because Blake is the game changer, however if he could not sustain the defensive assignment, MBrown inserts Fisher at the last three minutes. My point is, it is best to rotate your PG based on what the game dictates. Let your opponent guess the play which I believe is a good strategy.
There is also difference between your strategies during season vs. the strategies in 7 game series in the playoffs. If you use Sessions in the last 20 games, why educate your opponents’ scouts on your PG strategy for the playoffs?
T. Rogers says
I don’t see why people are making such a big deal about him not starting. There are 48 minutes in a game. Does it really matter who “starts” the game? What matters more is who is on the floor with certain line ups, who plays in certain situations, and against certain opponents.
I think Ramon will make his mark in a short period of time. Remember he is in a contract year. He seems to like being with the Lakers. My guess is he wants to impress the Lakers brass. I expect him to have a big impact no matter where Brown has him in the rotation.
fifth_rune says
Goudelock, a player I like, is vastly overrated by fans. He has natural scoring ability and brings that to the team whenever he is on the floor. Wonderful. But he throws the offense totally out of whack whenever he’s in the game. He hasn’t learned yet how to balance his own scoring with the flow of the team’s offense (i.e. ignoring the bigs, or not giving them a timely/in-position pass). That’s why despite his great scoring/minute averages, he is almost always a net (-) when on the floor. People need to stop using him as an example of ‘crazy Mike Brown’ rotation or lineup decisions, because that’s a perfectly legitimate one. Until Goudelock learns how to better work within/run the offense or shows improvement there, his minutes are going to keep getting cut.
tviper says
Jim, agree. Darius, in response, I would say that I only need 19 minutes to see that the starting unit would be dramatically better with Sessions in there. And it isn’t like RS is an unknown. He has been in the league several years and should be able to adapt more quickly than, say a rookie, who is generally overwhelmed. I would also add that the schedule lends itself to getting Sessions ready for the playoffs.
My point of inferior lineup cannot reasonably be refuted IMO by appealing to familiarity. Blake is a known quantity who does not have a high enough shooting %, good enough D, or ability to break down the D to make up for the ridiculous misses on lobs and passes being blocked by the man defending him.
Ken says
I played the same offense Brown is running 30 years ago. It is a standard offense used by Spurs and half the teams in the NBA. Where I could see the triangle could take time this offense should not be hard for Sessions who played for Scott the past two years.
As to Jim C and my point Sessions needs to work with Andrew, Pau and Kobe. It dosen’t help the offense when Blake(who I actually like) scores zero and seems scared to take a shot. This puts us back to 3 on 5 on offense. Need to have at least a threat of scoring at the point since that threat dosen’t exist at the SF spot.
Simple basketball logic tells you if you leave two spots open to shoot PG/SF, because they can’t, then that leaves 3 guys guarding 2 bigs and 2 guys guarding Kobe.
Go back and watch the Dallas sweep if you need proof of the way this works.
beyondblue says
Definitely some harsh comments here about mb. Sebastian pruiti at grantland has broken down some sets he runs to get players open looks; and anectdotally, it seems like the lakers score off timeouts more than ever before.
In any case, seems like good players coming off the bench makes sense to a lot of teams: see Harden, Manu, Jet.
I just don’t think it matters much who starts (although to counterpoint, carlisle added barea to starting lineup
Jim C. says
@T. Rogers:
You make a good point about Sessions being in a contract year, but it took my thinking down a different direction.
With the new, punitive, luxury tax rules the FO is also obviously trying to save money. I wonder how much keeping Sessions on the second unit for the remainder of the year, and not coincidentally keeping his stats lower than they would be if he was playing as a starter and thus pushing his value down, is an intentional tactic to be able to resign him at a reasonable price tag next year?
Aaron says
Ramon will be starting by Tuesday. Sessions is a 25 year old stud. He can play 38 minutes a game. We don’t have CP3 and Mo Williams here. We can’t start a PG with a PER below nine. We just can’t afford that. We are trying to win a championship here. Steve Blake has been a back up PG his entire career. He can come off the bench just fine. The Lakers as we have seen the entire season to this date have a problem scoring points. That isn’t a second unit problem only. Ramon can be subbed out before the second quarter starts and be back in to run with the second unit. Only in bizarre situations is it best to start your inferior player. This is not one of those times. The Lakers run a PG heavy offense and we need a true PG in as often as possible, especially with that first unit where Kobe has been known to stop the ball at will. But I agree in a perfect world where Steve Blake was an adequate starting PG it would be nice for Session’s to bring that speed off the bench. But as I type this it’s raining outside in Los Angeles.
Pedro says
START HIM NOW!!! Let him build chemistry with the starters, not the guys coming off the bench.
Kevin says
fifthrune: Goudelock spaces the floor and is effective when he in the game. His defense sucks but floater and jump shot are consistent. Goudelock’s made 62% of his spot up shots (4th in the league in that category) that’s why he’s in the game.
Playing Sessions with Bynum & Pau heavy minutes together exclusively puts Pau back on the perimeter to give Sessions room to operate. That’s what I saw in his 19 minutes Pau on the perimeter.
Aaron says
Rony Turiaf has been waived. Man,,,. He isn’t as good as Jordan Hill but if we knew he would be available we could have targeted a different player and then grabbed Turiaf today. Unlucky. Nm. Turiaf I guess wouldn’t clear waivers to get to us.
Darius Soriano says
Just to be clear, Sessions will still get time with the starters. He may not start the game with them but he’ll still play with them. Just as Blake saw plenty of minutes with the big three, Sessions will too.
lil' pau says
I hope this is okay, but I’m bringing this forward from the last thread. As the Fisher situation grows increasingly murky, I find these questions have even greater relevance:
Can someone please explain the mechanics of a buyout? From what I’ve read, Fisher apparently has 3.4M left on his deal, which I assume is the money he is owed for the remainder of this season, plus his salary for next season. (Is that right?)
If it is, then how is the buyout figure calculated (or what are the parameters if it is negotiated)? If Hou is in luxury tax land (and I don’t know if they are), then I assume that Fish’s 3.4M actually costs the team 6.8M in real expenses. Does this mean the buyout range is negotiated between 3.4M and 6.8M? If it’s less than that, why would Fisher agree (unless he thought he could exceed the difference with another contract)?
If this is the case – that teams would pay OVER the value of a player’s contract so as not to incur luxury tax payments – then why aren’t there buyouts all over the place? Why wasn’t Luke bought out 2 years ago?
And most of all, why would Houston do this– are they essentially paying off Fisher’s contract as the price for the draft pick they got in the trade? After all, if they just wanted to clear a roster spot, they could have bought out Jordan Hill, right?
As a final, very basic question, am I right in understanding that a buyout is a negotiation rather than a component of a player’s contract (some kind of algorithm that establishes a locked-in buyout price based on a prorated # of games remaining)? Can Fish just say no?
It’s incredible that I know so little about this works in practice given how often it is discussed conceptually.
Craig W. says
I guess most Laker fans have never heard that the grass is not greener next door. If you don’t like your grass, then water it, don’t leave it for something else.
We just can’t seem to get out of the mindset that the FO stinks and we have a really ineffectual coach. It doesn’t seem to matter what the facts are – we want perfection, or we want change.
Well, lord god coach Jackson wasn’t such a great coach last year and we paid for it in the playoffs. Yes, the team had problems, but the coaching certainly wasn’t up to the standards he set in previous years.
Calm down and let the Lakers organization do their jobs. They still seem to do things better than most NBA organizations do. And no, it isn’t realistic to think the team could win championships every year – just ain’t gonna happen. We have a chance and that’s the best we can ask for.
Aaron says
The Dream Realized
————————————–
Due to unforeseen awesome events… I will be joining my father, brother, and mother tonight on the staples center wood floor. This has been all I have wanted for my entire pathetic life. I can’t tell you how excited I am. I am shaking right now. It’s not safe. Pray for me guys…
Robert says
Frank The Tank (from previous): We did not re-sign SB, we let LO go, we did not use the Sasha TPE, + we have not used the LO TPE. I think it is safe to say that salary control has something to do with that. Mitch did an excellent job in spite of these controls. Where do you disagree?
Kenny T says
My opinion is to start Ramon now. Blake has been very effective with the 2nd unit, often helping to extend leads in recent games. Ramon needs to learn how to play with Drew, Pau & Kobe. The sooner he can develop that on-court chemistry with them, the better.
Michael H says
Man, just can’t believe all the people commenting that Sessions should be starting with only one practice. If you have played basketball on any level beyond rec league you know it’s not that simple. He needs to learn the plays and his team mates. 2nd units going to run more which is better for freelancing. First unit is a slower half court game. That will take a little more time. But he will still get plenty of minutes so relax everyone.
Daniel says
how great would we be right now with ODOM and sessions ? just thinking bout it makes me think we would have the best bench in the league with 2 starting-level players
Rubenowski says
I don’t have a problem with Sessions coming off the bench for now. The point is to limit the starter’s minutes, and I think Sessions will have the 2nd unit playing well enough to limit our Big 3’s minutes. Come playoff time that will change, and Sessions will definitely be playing in the last 5 minutes of close games now anyway. I don’t see what the big deal is.
lil' pau says
Aaron,
Awesome. Which seats (as I want to check you out from my vantage point in the middle-class section)? If you’d prefer, you can email me the answer at kb9kb9kb9@aol.com. I imagine you in Interscope’s seats, kicking it with the rappers.
Ken says
Michael H I don’t think anyone is saying that. We are responding to brown’s comment that not in the foreseeable future. This is mind game stuff. If we want to get out if the 2nd round then Sessions must get starters p minutes. Otherwise we are wasting what the Lakers need most. A fast guard who can penetrate and keep teams from doubling Andrew and Kobe.
That is what most if us are saying.
Darius Soriano says
Lil Pau,
Buyouts count against the cap and the luxury tax. The amount that the player is bought out for is then applied to the cap and tax as a percentage of what was owed for the remainder of the contract.
A straight forward example is if a player is owed 6 million over the next two seasons (3 million in each season) and is bought out for 4 million (or 2/3rds of the remaining value), 2 million would count against the cap and the tax (if the team is a tax payer) in each year over those two seasons.
In the example of Fisher, I’m not sure how the math would work out since he’s still owed $ this year and that amount is pro-rated twice (once for the shortened 66 game season and once for the games already played this year) while also being owed $ next year. The easy answer, though, is that if Fisher is bought out, some of that money will apply to Houston’s cap next year.
(Also important to note is that if Fisher is picked up by another team, whatever his new contract is for is then reduced off what Houston is charged against their cap *if that amount is greater than a minimum salary contract. So, again, the math will be fuzzy based off a variety of factors but I hope this has answered the part of your question you most wanted to know.)
tviper says
Aaron, congrats, have a great time! Let us know how fast Sessions is in person 🙂
sT says
From what I saw, Ramon has some learning of the Lakers systems, both offense and defense. So, as long as the goal is for him to eventually get those 38 minutes a game (somewhat soon), I am fine with that taking a little time. I am still wondering how Mitch unloaded Walton’s contract?
JD says
I’m of the opinion that Mike Brown will change his opinion of this as the season winds down. I’d look for the PG situation to mirror the SF situation of earlier in the year. If Blake continues to struggle, then Sessions will be starting in no time. I do however see the merits of him running with the second unit more as he’d be the primary ball handler, I just think he’s going to prove himself to be a better option and force Brown’s hand pre-playoffs.
Aaron says
Lil Pau,
Hey. Yea… I’m a 31 year old white guy with a buzz cut with dark blonshish hair. I’ll be sitting across from the players benches. You won’t be able to miss me. I’ll be the one with a giant smile and tears running down his cheek.
lil' pau says
Aaron:
opposite the vistors’ bench or the home bench (although I agree it doesn’t sound like it will be too hard to pick you out among the agency/lawyer/model crowd)? be sure to grab a drink in the chairman’s room at halftime.
enjoy.
Darius:
You answered most of my questions (thank you!), but not the most fundamental (and simplest) one. Why does a team like Houston trade for a player they they hope to buy out? Have they just effectively paid the (to be determined) buyout fee for the draft pick that came along with DFish?
Darius Soriano says
Lil Pau,
Yes, they essentially bought a 1st round draft pick for next season by taking on Fisher’s contract. Just as Cleveland did by taking on Walton’s contract.
SteakandEggs says
Pau Gasol came in and was added to the starting lineup immediately with a far more complex offense.
Kevin says
Sessions makes the Lakers a better team coming off the bench. As does Harden to OKC and Terry to DAL. It’s better for the team for him to play the 6th man role.
Aaron says
Lil Pau,
I don’t know what bench I’ll be across from. When I get there I’ll let everyone know 🙂
Kareem says
Aaron,
Enjoy your four quarters + of paradise. Points if you stare down Millsap and throw his game off. He usually beasts against us. Lucky lucky man.
richard says
i’d prefer sessions come off the bench because we need a scoring punch and depth on the bench. but MBrown should play sessions more than blake with the starters
Aaron says
Kareem,
I am a lucky man. It’s crazy. I haven’t fully grasped it yet. And I dont think I’ll be needing to talk smack tonight. I’ll make sure it’s a Lakers blow out.
rr says
I think it is OK if Blake starts a few games while Sessions gets acclimated. But if Sessions begins really
outplaying Blake, then Sessions needs to start and play 30-35. Steve Blake is 31 years old, has clearly established that he is not a starting-quality PG and he doesn’t have particular skills that make him a great fit in this offense. Sessions actually fits it better than Blake does.
Sessions played the Minnesota game on about 2-3 hours sleep with no practice time. He made a lot of mistakes in 19 minutes–3 TOs and 4 PFs. But he also showed that he is capable of actually being a threat, getting 7 points, 5 assists and 4 boards–which separates him from Steve Blake.
lil' pau says
I can’t wait to see Aaron get into it with the refs… ‘I’m sorry, but that’s a moving screen and if you disagree with that, you just don’t know anything about basketball…’
Michael H says
Ken
He was asked what was he suppose to say? He doesn’t know when Ramon will be ready to start. It’s all up to Ramon and how quickly he picks it up.
Avidon says
Coach is saying all the right things. Only a star player can come in and start on a new team right away. Worry not – we’ve all seen that Mike Brown isn’t “afraid to tinker with line-ups”. Expect Sessions to start within a couple of weeks.
Snoopy2006 says
Is Matt Harpring still the color commentator for the Jazz, and do they travel with road teams? If so, Aaron – you become my automatic hero if you 1) talk trash at Harpring 2) start a Taco chant in the first quarter or 3) rep with a Forum Blue and Gold T-shirt or sign at the game.
To follow up on lil pau’s question, my impression is that a buyout is never a clause integrated into existing contracts, but a new negotiation reached by both parties, correct? Usually buyouts make sense for veterans who don’t want to be stuck on rebuilding projects, and still have something left in the tank to offer contenders (or they’re least perceived to have some value based on past performances, like the Celtics did with washed-up Michael Finley).
If that’s the case, and we make 2 assumptions: 1) There is no market for Fisher and 2) Fisher wants to continue playing, wouldn’t it be in Fisher’s interest to refuse a buyout? The Rockets can’t turn him away, short of waiving him.
I still think a buyout will happen. Considering Fish hasn’t reported I doubt he wants to play for Houston, and I still feel like there’s at least 1 owner willing to pay a pro-rated vets minimum contract for his leadership and experience. But if it were true no other team wanted him and Fish intended to keep playing, it’d make sense for him to refuse a buyout and stick to his current contract.
Aaron says
Lil Pau,
Haha. If they need a talking to I won’t be afraid to give one to them 😉 And do you think it’s a coincidence that Fishers second game off the team will be my first and only time sitting on the floor?
Jim C. says
Mike Brown definitely hasn’t been afraid to tinker with the lineups.
Three quarters of the way through the season and we’re STILL seeing new lineup combinations with the likes of Kapono and McRoberts seeing time recently after long stretches of DNP – Coach’s Decision entries in the box score.
In fact, I’d argue that Brown being unable to come to a consistent rotation is one of his weaknesses as a coach. Roleplayers need to have a comfort zone established of knowing how many minutes that they’re likely to see on any given night.
Take away that comfort and you mess with the confidence of the players involved. Continue to jerk folks around and play around with lineups all season long, and you hurt the continuity on BOTH ends of the floor.
I can understand that SOME tinkering is needed when you’re adjusting to a new roster, and occasionally situational matchups or injuries force some adjustments, but at some point Mike Brown needs to settle on a rotation plan and schedule and STICK TO IT. (Which also means not playing the Big-3 huge minutes when down 17 in the 4th quarters of blowouts thinking that it’s still a winnable game.)
Admittedly, with limited practices due to the strike shortened season, Coach Brown deserves some slack in this and in so many other areas because he’s having to make do on the fly, but some of his decisions are just plain baffling.
(Fisher still starting up until the trade deadline, Kapono getting some recent burn, Goudelock NOT getting any burn, and even that Walton sighting not too far back.)
Kevin says
After only scoring 100 points in 5 times before the ASB Lakers have scored 100 points 6 times in 10 games since ASB.
Through power ratings Lakers are the 5th best team in the league after CHI, MIA, OKC, SA.
Lakers are 20-7 in Western Conference.
Lakers are top 10 in defense in every category except turnovers forced, steals and opponents fastbreak points.
Darius Soriano says
The game preview is up.
http://www.forumblueandgold.com/2012/03/18/preview-chat-the-utah-jazz-9/
Kevin says
Spurs 1999
Duncan & Robinson avg. 37 pts- 21 rebs per game
Lakers 2012
Bynum & Pau avg. 34 pts- 23 rebs per game
Both teams started slow through 10 games Spurs 12-8 Lakers 11-9. Through 40 games Spurs 28-12 Lakers 24-16.
Both teams were low scoring and top defenses only big difference was scoring differential Spurs were +8. Lakers are +2.6 right now.
Spurs were 8 deep Lakers are 6 Sessions can be the difference. If he can make 2 players (Murphy, Goudelock) more productive get them open looks. If Hill can be the Malik Rose tough defense type player off the bench. Can Ron knock down shots the way Elliott did? We may have something here if those answers are yes.
Plan9FOS says
sT (33)
Concerning how Mitch got Cleveland to take Walton’s contract, I’ve seen someone mention that Cleveland was getting too close to the lower cap and Walton’s contract made sure they didn’t go under it.
Perhaps someone can confirm this.
As for the current topic, “foreseeable” is a nice ambiguous term, to be interpreted as needed, when needed.
I took it to mean that Sessions will start when Brown sees that Sessions has picked up the defense and offense enough for Brown’s liking.
There’s nothing to get worked up about.
Ken says
Aaron chances are you will be opposite the benches as the bench side are bought up by studios and celebs. They want to be seen and those seats are much higher then the non-television side seats.
Utah coming off OT game last night so they should be fading in the 2nd half.
sT says
Thanks Plan9FOS.
Edwin Gueco says
After winning a series of home games, they’re bound to lose one which happened tonight. Most of it came from overconfidence by the starters that led to careless TO’s. I think the bench is better than starters too. Sessions moved the ball and only Barnes could complement the fast break pace.