After losing their first five games of the season and winning their next, the Lakers have again lost four straight games. This lands them with a 1-9 record, last in the West and only one win better than the awful 76ers. While pundits thought things could be this bad, to actually see the team struggle the way that they have has been is a punch to the gut. The losing — and how they’re going about it — is clearly starting to affect the players too.
After Sunday’s drubbing at the hands of the Warriors — a game that saw Kobe take a lot of shots en route to a 44 point night — both Carlos Booze and Jeremy Lin were vocal in the need for the team to strike the right balance offensively. Kobe Byrant commented on his shooting too, noting that he’d prefer not to shoot this much but acknowledging, in his own way, that he will fill the vacuum if that’s what it takes. Byron Scott also spoke on the matter, commenting that the team can function this way, but he is not sure if the team can function well.
Of all the comments, I think Scott’s are the most important. While the players can (and should) grumble if they think things should change (while also doing better to act out those changes on the floor), it’s the head coach who needs to be the one to set the tone on how he thinks the team should play. In his latest column, Kevin Ding writes that Scott needs to be better in setting that tone, especially in relation to Kobe. An excerpt:
There is a fundamental problem with the template.
You want to build the team around Bryant’s free rein on offense while he is encouraged to “rest”—Scott’s own word—on defense, yet every other guy is being held to fantastic standards that must be met for the team to overachieve?
How is anyone besides Kobe ever going to think that’s cool? Resentment is bound to build, especially when Bryant is so unabashed in competitive zeal that he described his view on his teammates’ passivity Sunday night thus: “Can’t just sit back and watch crime happen.”
It might work every once in a while, as Bryant’s shooting and scoring against single coverage has inspired his teams to compete harder and rally in games of the past—though certainly not Sunday night.
Boozer and Lin, two guys who believe deeply in Kobe, were left grumbling late Sunday night about the difficulty of finding offensive rhythm next to him.
It most definitely isn’t easy to learn to play with him. As such, Scott must make that process easier, not harder.
With all the perks that come with coaching the Lakers and Kobe Bryant, what Scott must manage now is clearly one of the hard aspects. Getting all the players on the same page and effectively building a cohesiveness from a roster that isn’t familiar with each other nor familiar with how Kobe responds in any given moment is difficult. Add a bunch of losing to the equation and things only get harder. But this is the job he signed up for. It’s time for him to put in the work or fail trying.
In terms of tonight, the Lakers are again on the road and facing a team who is much better than them. The Hawks aren’t some powerhouse, but they have Al Horford, Paul Millsap, Jeff Teague, Kyle Korver, a good coach and a winning record on the year. If the Lakers hope to win, there are surely X’s and O’s things they can do — limit Korver’s 3 point attempts, keep Horford and Milsap off the glass, slow down Teague (and Dennis Schoeder) in transition — but mostly they just need to play harder and smarter.
There needs to be less loafing defensively. The help needs to be there quicker and with more purpose. They must cut out the turnovers, set better screens, and be more attentive on when and how to cut against defenses gearing up to slow down many of their pet actions. They also need to hit some shots. The return of Nick Young may help with the latter and it will be interesting to see how much burn the swaggy one gets in his first game back after tearing a thumb ligament in his shooting hand. The Lakers sorely need Young’s scoring punch as a bridge between their starting and bench units, so it’d be great if he could hit the ground running — even if we shouldn’t expect that.
The best way to cure frustrations from losing is to get a W. The Lakers, after dealing with defeat nine out of ten times to start the year, are clearly frustrated. Some adjustments from the coach, some better decisions from the players (including Kobe, who can give more defensively and cut out some of the over-shooting he’s done), and a few lucky bounces would go a long way in making that happen.
Where you can watch: 4:30pm start time on TWC Sportsnet. Also listen on ESPN Radio 710AM.
EM says
This all stinks. Jim Buss is at the root of the problem with talent. Jeanie is a good leader. Where did everything go wrong,
Kenya says
You mentioned Kobe’s defense, I think it should be pointed out when the bigs’ help on picks the guards have free rein to the basket.
J C says
From last thread…
Like many here I miss Chick. A lot.
I always said that when Chick and Jerry West were both gone the team would begin to suffer. Add Dr. Buss to that.
Without these three titans we now find ourselves in a much less enlightened place.
Gonna be a long year.
The Hawks are the least of our problems!
Anonymous says
Byron Scott is a bum head coach and He should have never been hired in the first place. The only reason he was hired is to give the fans a sense of nostalgia and a link to the glory days. What does he do? All he does is stand on thr sideline with his arms crossed and a blank look on his face. Personally I hope he’s gone after this season.
JohnnyP says
When Linn (after “manning up”) and Young (after returning) start firing shots, we’ll be like a beehive of offense.
The Atlanta Hawks are going to get stung! Let’s enjoy it!!
GOOooooOOOOO LAKERS!
always a triangle fan says
clearly kobe is don quixote, but it’s a little too easy for ding and others to pin it on kobe. I saw kobe grab rebounds and be more a force on the glass than boozer, who was an absolute joke on Sunday. Kobe lit into lin during the game and Lin just got more depressed.
Ding didn’t mention that either.
No question the offensive “sets” are a joke when kobe’s in there. the second unit actually runs plays.
But there’s more than one way to help in a game, but lin and boozer just sulked on Sunday. If they really cared, or perhaps weren’t so wrapped up in their own drama, they would have found a way to make some impact on the game.
That’s how you earn trust, communication, or whatever BS boozer and lin were spouting after the game. Speaking of BS (no pun intended), I’m very interested to see what Byron Scott does differently the next 10 games. I can’t see him having the trust of the players if there’s not the slightest improvement in how they play. The Twolves, Pistons and Nuggets should offer some realistic chance of a win or two.
BigCitySid says
-Looking forward to Swaggy P’s return…at the same time I’m wondering how long Kobe & Swag’s honeymoon lasts. Swag seems to be more of a member of the Dwight Howard school of “on the court behavior” than Kobe’s. S/b interesting.
-Wonder how Kobe, his teammates, and Coach feel when opposing players and coaches publicly state they aren’t concerned with how many points Kobe is scoring, as long as the other Lakers aren’t involved offensively and they are comfortably winning.
-10 games down, 72 to go.
-2-9 would look a lot better than 1-10, go Lakers…I have a feeling
Robert says
Kobe Alert: Against the Warriors – KB recorded his 121st forty point game which trails only MJ and Wilt all time. It was his 423rd thirty point game which brings him to within 6 more to catch KAJ for 4th. He needs 2 more games played to equal Otis Thorpe for 23rd in that category. KB needs 10 more dimes to move by Mookie Blaylock for 31st (never would have guessed Mookie to be this high up on this list). He is closing in on MJ in total rebounds and more importantly needs just 320 points to move by him in points.
Robert says
EM: Nice opening post – tell it like it is.
J C: Don’t you dare leave Phil off your Titans list.
BCS: When Kobe and Swaggy are on the floor together – there will be an issue with the fact that basketball is played with only one ball.
All: It was reported to me that I was accused of being way too optimistic on another Lakers board. I thought this board would find that amusing.
Chearn says
I sure hope Nick Young isn’t returning too soon.
He and Kobe will get along just fine. At least Nick plays with some fire in his belly. The others, not so much.
It’s too bad Wayne is out with his family tragedy. If he were with the team he’d probably start.
Look for Wes Johnson to be more effective with Nick back. Those two definitely have chemistry.
At least we aren’t expected to win like the team down the hall. They lost to Chicago without Pau and Rose.
TeamN says
Excellent observations, Darius. So easy to talk about tanking, but so hard to watch it happen. This great franchise is tearing itself apart, diminishing its legacy and that of one of its all time greats, all for some hope of a draft pick.
And maybe that pick, along with the injured rookie and the always popular “cap space” gets things back on track?!?! Ok, I sure hope so.
The ride will be long and very, very uncomfortable. I just hope everyone involved — players, fans, management — survives.
P.F says
I keep hearing kobe takes a lot of shots, and that the ball is not being shared. ..really! So what are boozer, Lin, and hill doing to help the situation? so you mean to tell me a 36 yr old off of an Achilles and knee surgery and having the flu can put up points and those young , well guys , his supporting cast couldn’t get anything done. This article was a waste of time. There’s always talk about his (kobe’s)offensive shooting but no one talks about what or really who are the player or players that will take over when he sits or while he is on the floor.
T. Rogers says
The Hawks can get hot from three. Korver is always a threat to go off. So if the Hawks start hitting the Lakers will be forced to take and hit some threes just to keep up. They also really like moving the ball. The Lakers will need to communicate with each other on defense to keep up. Hortford and Milsap are tough on the inside. Hill and Boozer will have their hands full tonight. The Lakers need to get hands in their faces early.
Hopefully they can pull out a win. One (of many) good reason(s) to keep the ball moving is to force the Hawks to work on defense. Make those guys move their feet while defending. It may take some of that pep out of their steps by the fourth quarter. If its just Kobe shooting and four guys waiting on a rebound then expect the Hawks to run away with this one. But that doesn’t have to be the case.
Ko says
So where are those lineUp changes BS?
Kevin T says
Kobe to Swaggy P, splash
Tim says
The return of Nick Young and the Lakers have a very good first quarter against the Hawks.
Hale says
Good to see Young out there. He’s heavy from the recovery but good chemistry thus far with Kobe. Also, 1st quarter Sacre sighting!
lakafan says
Team is playing just fine, let kb rest some more bs. I don’t understand one bit why he plays kb entire 1st qtr, 5 minute rest, then plays him last 7 minutes of 2nd. Why not play him 9, rest 6, then play 9. Repeat the same in 2nd half. that way kb doesn’t play more than 36 minutes each game.
Hale says
Boozer with the how to get shaken clinic presented by Milsap. hahahaha
KenOak says
Whoa. Lakers up by 14!? What the heck!
Tim says
Lakers with their first half-time lead of the season.
BigCitySid says
Lakers are playing like a TEAM…and good things are happening. Great half. Need to repeat it.
Ko says
Falling apart fast. Call a stupid TO and get Nick and Davis in BS
Big City jinx?
Bmcburney says
So I guess Mark Cuban hopes the Lakers suck forever. Not that there is anything wrong with a little competitive-hate but I can’t help but recall that (according to rumor) it was this same Mark Cuban that helped put a stop to the Chris Paul trade. So were Mark C. and David S. and Dan G. really thinking about the good of the NBA or were they thinking, just a little, about how much they hate the Lakers?
PurpleBlood says
Lakers are playing like a TEAM
___
that´s what i´m talking about!
Tim says
Terrible start to the third quarter.
Hale says
That red cape Lin is waving at Teague is getting worn out
Ko says
How stupid is Scott? Johnson is garbage yet he keeps playing the worst player on the team.
Ko says
Man is Lin terrible on defense. Do Lakers have video tape before the sign guys?
lakafan says
Pass the ball kb. Not time to start chucking now!!
Lil pau says
Stop jacking, Mamba, other teammates are actually hitting!
Tim says
Kobe with the left hand for the basket.
Ko says
Stupid idiot from Nr. Harvard.? Dumb dumb and dumber
Tim says
Congratulations to Kobe Bryant on 32,000 points.
Ko says
Again from Lin? Get the fool out of there.
Glad Nuck is back!
Lil pau says
Kobe 32k
KenOak says
Looks like a good night for the Mamba, Boozer, and Nick Young. Good to have ya back Nick! I didn’t get to watch the game, but twitter feeds made it sound like Kobe was getting lots of love from the crowd?
Ko says
Lot of questions in Scott’s subs
Agree says
Scott’s subbing pattern were beyond strange the 2nd half. Wes Johnson seriously needs to ride the pine and only play 10mins a game. When Ellington comes back its time to start him and move Kobe to the 3 spot. Swaggy made an impact, its great to have somebody that can shoot in the 2nd unit.
Kobe was efficient tonight, that was nice to see–plus victory! Lin only shot 2 times the entire second half, what is up with him not shooting lately? I know he is trying to facilitate but the dude is the 3rd best scorer on this team, yet he rarely shoots. Well 2 wins just has a nice ring to it 🙂 one is a lonely number. Booyaa we are better than Philly!
the other Stephen says
Good Lord, Ko, give it a rest.
Anonymous says
SwaggyP!
Now the real season begins!
the other Stephen says
@ KenOak,
There were more Lakers fans than Hawks fans in the stands tonight.
Chearn says
Team win!! Great all-around contributions!
Now consistency is key. Who’s going to perform night in and night out. Kobe, Nick, and Hill. Who’ll join them?
Everclear says
I would be pissed if I were the coach. Regardless of the win, we almost gave the game away half a dozen times down the stretch with stupid, irresponsible and lazy plays over and over again. We didn’t win this game so much as the Hawks lost it.
That kind of play won’t cut it against over .500 teams. We escaped.
Oldtimer says
First W on the road, as Big Game James said: this could be the beginning of the Laker season. Let’s see if it can be duplicated in Howard’s territory. I think they read FB&G and felt guilty about it. Thank you Lin, Booze and Jhill and the one and only Swaggy P. Oops Kobe too, Lakers can’t move forward without Kobe dissing and facilitating.
PurpleBlood says
great to get a win; good to have Swaggy back –
__
32,000 , Mamba´s amazing
BBfan says
Great game! How beautiful it is when everyone is involved. Ko- don’t be too negative!
Go Lakers!
Ko says
Other Stephen
Sorry you are right. I got nervous. First game this year I felt good about our team.
Calvin Chang says
More energy tonight. Glad to see the Lakers playing as a team. That’s the way they should play: team effort, more hustle, more ball-movement, more high pick and roll. Then when the game is close in the last 4 minutes, let Kobe close it out. Notice that Kobe had energy to play as the closer because he didn’t have to expend a lot of energy during the first 3 quarters. Need to keep it up. Credit to Byron Scott for coaching better today.
Craig W. says
The Lakers did well, but we should keep a lid on the excitement. It is the Eastern Conference, after all – and a mid-conference team to boot. There is loads of difference between Western team play and Eastern team play. Unfortunately, the Lakers play in the Western Conference and only face teams like this twice a year.
Calvin Chang says
Definitely a luxury to have Swaggy back. He can create his own shot, and he seems to make the game for fun for the team. One adjustment I would have liked to see is having Wes Johnson guarding Jeff Teague, and have Jeremy cover Kyle Korver. Korver’s not a threat off the dribble or in the low post, so you don’t need Wes on him. Wes’ size and length would have made it harder for Jeff Teague to get to the rim.
nimble says
Go Kobe despite all the haters around!
Rubenowski says
Kobe has shot 48% the last 2 games. Hopefully he’s coming around after so much time off.
LKK says
Good to see The Show get a W. Props to the Hawks’ coach for taking out Millsap early in the 1st and keeping him out while the Lakers built a lead. Paul was hot like fire and was opening up Boozer like a can of soup.To his credit , Boozer played well offensively and sorta offset Millsap’s production.
Very nice to see other Lakers step up. And it was great to see Swaggy back. It’s amazing how a couple of made threes can affect the game. It was good to see contributions from several Lakers In the same game.
bleedpurplegold says
Great w! Lin finally made an impact with his pnr game , also setting sone screens for kobe and vice versa…
Thought swaggy gave us great effort from the bench….but more importanlly, he is like the glue guy of this team??? Any1 saw the postgame interview stuff?? Swaggy right in the middle of every interview, making guys laugh and having a good time…..thats what we missed, having that team feeling and enjoying each other….thats what nick brought back into the locker tonight!
Congrats KB for 32k!
And boozer looked like a decent player on O, for some stretches at least….gotta keep that up!
Jayz says
Kenoak,
I never heard a home crowd chant an opposing teams name, not even Lebron’s. But Kobe was getting the Ko-be chants and the MVP chants in Atlanta.
alfharidi says
Jayz,
it’s not the first time Kobe gets MVP chants in Atlanta
BigCitySid says
Laker TEAM alert:
-54% fgm
-47fgm on 24 assist
-out rebounded Hawks 44 to 38
-five Lakers in double figures scoring between 15-28
-efficient Kobe, 28 points on 10 of 18
-three players posted double doubles, Boozer: 20 pts/10 rebs, Hill: 18/10, Lin: 15 pts/10 assists
-bench: 29 points, led by Swaggy’s 17
Add it all up and it equals a WIN. 2-9, much better than 1-10.
Ko, lol, do you really believe in jinxes?
devean george forever says
talent does matter, when Nick Young, incomplete but talented player that he is, plays, you can see how he reduces the pressure on Kobe and just in general makes things function better
Aaron says
So sad when the fanatics don’t know what’s good for them.
KenOak says
@Jayz Kobe has gotten MVP chants in BOSTON. I never thought I would see that… Alright now Lakeshow. Let’s stack a few more losses together. We have the second worst record behind Philly, but Minny is creepin’ up on us.
PurpleBlood says
Chris W,
your words of caution are, without doubt, sensible & appreciated, but i woke up today & remembering your post, laughed to myself, one `little´ w & i´m still tingling with joy! As I´m sure you not only understand but, more importantly, can feel as well – thanks again
Houston looms (large) ((shudder)), but let´s go out there & make it 2 straight fellas!!
GO LAKERS!!! GO LAKERS!!!
___
note to The BLACK MAMBA: you are AWESOME, & i KNOW, before it´s all through, you´ll lead us back to where you most want to be, holding that championship trophy high up towards the rafters! my gratitutde abounds –
BigCitySid says
Coincidence? Lakers are 2-9, in both their wins, five players scored in double figures, four starters & one sub. Good ball movement, less ball hogging.
Craig W. says
BigCitySid,
As we have said for years — it ain’t ballhogging if other team players won’t a) step up and b) couldn’t put a pea in the ocean. Kobe is Kobe and he will step in if you don’t take your shots or get discouraged by your misses. Frankly, that’s what I want in the 3rd best scorer in NBA history.
JohnnyP says
I told you the Lakers would win!!!
GOOOOoooOOOOOO LAKERS !
BigCitySid says
Craig W, opposing players and coaches are publicly on record stating as long as they are comfortably ahead, they don’t care if Kobe is scoring in an inefficient manner as long as other Lakers aren’t scoring.
Now you may be ok with that from the 4th highest scorer (not 3rd, not best, because then you would have to consider efficiency) but can’t see how that’s ok if you care about the team’s won loss record.
Ko says
Big. No
I was being stupid last night. I went out in a limb and guarenteed a win to several people last night with expensive wine on the line. So that 13 to 0 run had to be someone’s fault.
But Big City Jinx has a nice ring as a movie title!
rr says
Aaron,
We can’t really root for 0-82, and we need to remember that this isn’t a computer game. The players and the coaches can’t hit the auto-play button and have the season be over in 20 minutes. They have to do their video work, their weight room work, fly around the country, and compete. Also, most of them are playing for their future paychecks and NBA jobs. So I think it’s OK for fans to enjoy the wins when they come along.
Sid,
You have the same problem that a lot of people who don’t like Kobe have when you make the mistake of conflating your emotional response to his style of play with misguided attempts to analyze his play. you invest him with way too much power. The other way to look at this game is that the other guys stepped up and started looking for their offense, and made some shots.
Finally, always look at opponent: Atlanta has a decent team, but they are 23rd in DRTG, playing in the East.
We get it: you don’t like Kobe and you think he shoots too much. And, frankly, sometimes he does. But you need to remember that the Lakers are a team, and Kobe is just one guy on that team.
BigCitySid says
Lol Ko, I also had a good feeling about last night’s game as I alluded to earlier in this post. Glad it worked out for you. Don’t go double or nothing tonight vs Houston…hear they aren’t to happy after getting crushed by the Grizz last game.
david h says
hey darius: how does that expression go? a broken clock is correct twice a day ?? this time, the win felt a little different and looked different in that coach scott was seen making defense to offense player substitutions in the closing minutes of a closely contested win for the lakers. given the material he’s been given to work with; one can easily see that finding the right combination is and will probably be a season long work in progress.
appreciate the win, and not to sound like a wet blanket but , Jeremy lin, get yourself a pair of shoes with traction, or is that some kind of bad habit you’ve developed with all that slip sliding you do? no rest for the leery; I mean weary cause here comes Houston.
nice win, Go Lakers
bryan S. says
rr: nice post @ 9:30.
Ko: Easy ol’boy. No caffeine for you after 3:00 pm.
bleed purple and gold: You nailed it. Nick is a glue guy. Probably his most underrated virtue.
Lakers would probably make the playoffs if they played in the Leastern Conference. Win or lose, I will enjoy the effort when they play the right way.
PurpleBlood says
rr: nice post @ 9:30.
___
agree
___
Craig W,
sorry, earlier i´d written `Chris´ in reference to your post, my bad
Aaron says
rr,
It’s not rocket science. When every win helped the Lakers I rooted for 82-0, and now that every loss helps the Lakers I root for 0-82. I didn’t impliment this NBA welfare state that incentivizes losing. I wish the NBA could be like the EPL and other European football leagues. But alas the NBA has a monopoly on high level basketball and there are salary caps, drafts, and max salaries. I wish there was promotion/relegation. I wish it was in every teams best interest to win as many games as possible. I wish the higher seed got to pick what team they play in every playoff round to prevent high seeded teams from tanking late regular season games to face the lower seeded team they want to face. I don’t support the NBA system that rewards losing but I don’t pretend it doesn’t exsist.
It makes as much sense for Lakers fans to root for wins now as it would for Lakers fans to root for losses in 2010. It’s exactly the same.
Craig W. says
Hey this is sports, not life and death. I just can’t see how fans can root for their team to lose, no matter how logical.
On the side of logic, the draft is a crapshoot and we are going to lose our 1st round pick either this year or next. As far as the crapshoot is concerned, more early first round players are simply fillers or rotations guys on NBA teams than stars. Yes, most of the stars come from early in the first round, but most of the players chosen then do not become stars. We developed a couple of rotation players last year and might again this year. Plus we need a high profile free-agent, regardless.
Just sayin’ ‘tanking’ isn’t all it cracked up to be. After 3 years the 76ers are still at it – not a good example.
BigCitySid says
rr, and others. Disagree w/ your conclusion that I don’t like Kobe. He’s in my top 7-8 favorite Lakers of all time (I go back to ‘ 65). Actually I believe I’m more objective about his game than most fans. There’s a lot of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde in Kobe’s game. How boring would this site be if everybody only acknowledged Kobe’s positives and ignored his negatives?
Maybe our focus is different. I’m a Laker first guy, I know many here are Kobe first fellows. With rare exception, I always want what’s best for the team, the franchise. And based on this season, so far it looks like the Lakers function much better when multiple players are involved offensively as opposed to being spectators on the court.
Darius Soriano says
Sid,
The point isn’t about your conclusion. No one would argue that any team functions better when more players are involved an contributing. The point is in how you come to your conclusions and whether or not Kobe plays as central a role in others playing well or whether he is only one influence in a list of several that contribute.
T. Rogers says
I agree with Craig on tanking. If the 76ers are your example then you’ve lost me. The Sixers have been tanking for 2 to 3 years now. They have traded away any player worth anything in order to stock up on draft picks. They got Carter-Williams, Noel, and Embiid will eventually make an appearance. My question is when do they actually start looking like a professional basketball team? Three years of tanking and they are still terrible.
The Lakers need to take a page out of the Spurs’ book. The Spurs never trade their draft picks. They always keep their picks and actually draft players. Their scouting department is so good they can pick late 1st round or early 2nd and still get impact players. Between draft picks and free agents the Spurs are always bringing in 3 to 4 new guys every season. If one of them turns into Patty Mills or Danny Green then they are ahead of the curve. And if you luck out and get a Kwahi Leonard, then everything is right with the world. Compete, scout well, and keep your draft picks. If those things are done the high quality free agents will come.
Aaron says
craig w,
I wish you read all the previous posts about the benefits of tanking and why it’s a system purposely put into place by the NBA. Every title contender this season is a title contender because of top lottery picks acquired through the draft.
The Lakers would like to get a top 3 pick this year and the next and then they would love to send a late first rounder to the Suns in two years.