On Wednesday, after the Lakers had lost their season opener, there were more than a few opinions of the alarmist variety – after all, the superstars had lost. That night, they had the audacity to lose again. Going into tonight’s match against their cross-hall rivals, Lakers are oh and two. Furthermore, the Clippers are unbeaten at one and oh. The implications are staggering.
In the aftermath of the Halloween tragedy there were those ready to light the torches and those willing to hedge their bets – if the Lakers win tonight it’ll be easy to say that the epic two-game skid was was bound to end sometime. If the Lakers shoot another blank though? The ride will get bumpier and it’s not just fans and media – the team itself isn’t particularly pleased.
Kelly Dwyer at Ball Don’t Lie suggests that Kobe Bryant is on point with his succinct reaction to critics (“shut up”).
A five-on-five from ESPN, about the Lakers/Clippers game tonight. Our own Darius takes part with D.J. Foster, Chris Palmer, Kevin Arnovitz and J.A. Adande.
Eddy Rivera for Hardwood Paroxysm offers up the rebranding of Dwight Howard’s image.
Bill Plaschke at the LA Times opines that now is not the time to get rid of Mike Brown.
Basketball Reasons and fellow SS&R writers examine the fallout from Wednesday night’s loss.
Dave McMenamin at ESPN GO reports that the Laker vets are accepting the blame and ready for the recovery to begin.
Kevin Ding at the OC Register says that even with two losses, Dwight Howard’s world remains rainbows.
Tom Haberstroh has the first installment of the Heat Index for ESPN GO, in which he offers advice from lessons learned with Miami’s Big Three.
As part of his ongoing player capsules, Aaron McGuire at Gothic Ginobili takes a look at our own MWP, and finds the gray area between two extremes.
Andrew Ungvari at Lakers Nation says Brown is on the hot seat and rightfully so.
***
Well that wasn’t so bad, was it? Some honest criticism mixed with a liberal dose of peace, love and understanding. I now feel assured that tonight’s game will be free of animus and that the basketball world stands poised to embrace the Lakers’ first win of the glorious season. Even if that Steve Nash fella doesn’t suit up. Which would be the fault of the pesky Princeton offense anyway, for jumping out and bumping him on the knee. Let the games begin.
Kevin_ says
Metta World Peace should be more of a talking point. He came into the season in great shape but is no more than a vet minimum player now. In 2 games he has 5 fgm and 9 TO’s. Batum and marion really had their way with him and his intimidation factor is wearing off. I think someone has to reel him in to focus on playing lockdown defense and hitting open shots because that’s his role. Not over dribbling going nowhere taking seconds off the shot clock. Can Mitch find another sucker?
George Best says
It will take some time for this team to gel and I do think the coaching issue is a long term problem but the lack of significant athleticism on the bench is going make this team not quite as good as we expect even if they are still the favorites in the west. I dont see Brown making it to the allstar break because this team cannot have those stretches of mediocrity that frustrate fans which results in the playoffs being almost impossible to manage for any coach not named Phil.
P. Ami says
Look, we have some time to see how the team will work it’s issues out. As some posts here have pointed out, aside from age, these are fixable issues. Does Brown have the coaching ability to shorten the learning process? Will he manage lineups as well as other coaches? I have doubts but it is perfectly possible that the unique nature of this team is it’s biggest issue. A collection of go to guys is trying to learn how to maximize each others’ talents. It’s not that simple and yet, anyone who has played pickup ball knows, you have much better chance of figuring it out if you are a team blessed with talent then otherwise. The Lakers have heaps of talent.
People who think only Phil could fix this mess are simply wrong. We saw plenty of pick and roll with Phil, so he does go away from the triangle, but Nash is not a triangle PG. Also, both Van Gundy brothers are excellent coaches (and yes, I am aware of Stan’s history with Dwight, just making the point). Larry Brown could be a good stop-gap. We should also recall names such as Doc Rivers, Erik Spoelstra, and Gregg Popovich. Each was seen as some combination of incompetent, incapable of relating to players, out of their comfort zone and opportunistic. What do people say now? Most coaching happens behind closed doors and is a group effort. I’m more inclined to think there is a method to the madness we are seeing on the court and in the rotations. Lets not reward short cuts to thought by analysts who are paid to run their mouth and hope something meaningful sprays out.
Jesse P. says
btw* Kobe saying he’s ‘not a happy camper’ tells you that there is a deeper issue (effort) with this team other than the coaching.
david h says
dave m: another fine friday forum lure….like a moth to a flame.
got my mtv, i mean my twc via charter cable. looks like primeticket on steroids but in a good way. was planning on kicking it w/the big screen but future wifey needs some comfort and joy. it’s friday night and gotta go trekking it to the oc. will probably stop off in la puente and pick up some of that mas burritos from boca del rio, courtesy recommendation from the one and only danny chau via fullerton, via food connoisseur, via all things that taste good.
speaking of which, food always digests better when lakers win.
keeping all fingers and toes crossed. hoping not to pull a cramp. tgif all.
Go Lakers
Shaun says
Some questions for tonight
– does the starting line up average 40 mins each like the first fewGames
– will bench scoring be above 20 PTs
– will we have fewer than 20 turnovers
Darius Soriano says
The game preview is up. But feel free to hang out here to continue to discuss the stories of the day.
http://www.forumblueandgold.com/2012/11/02/preview-chat-the-los-angeles-clippers-12/