New York Knicks vs Los Angeles LakersThu Mar 12, 10:30 PM EST – TWSN, MSG Line: LAL -6.5, O/U: 188.5 Staples Center – Los Angeles, CA Recent Matchups |
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Today’s preview was written by friend of the site and frequent commenter, Ray Diaz. He can be found on twitter at @Radius1238. Give him a follow and enjoy his thoughts on the battle of the basement that is Lakers/Knicks.
The Lakers are coming off their first win after a five game losing streak, a rare win for a team that has the 4th worst record in the league and the worst record since the All-Star Break. The starting five led the way against the free falling Detroit Pistons with all 5 starters in double figures led by Jordan Hill’s 16 points. Jeremy Lin added 12 points mostly from the charity stripe and Ed Davis continued his solid play with 13 points on 6-8 shooting.
The Lakers continue to play hard since the All-Star break and this was one of the rare games where the young team did not have a bad stretch in the second half. Even better, Kobe Bryant was seen giving rookie Jordan Clarkson tips when Jordan went to the bench. Jordan is basically getting schooled in the game by one of the best scorers ever in Kobe and one of the best point guards ever in Steve Nash.
That is one of the biggest draws to watching Lakers games at this point: the surprising development of Jordan Clarkson as the point guard of the future. Jordan reached his career high in assists against Detroit highlighted by a leading, thread-the-needle pass to Boozer in the 1st quarter and his backhanded assist to Tarik Black in the 3rd quarter. Jordan is a nice surprise and has some Lakers fans on twitter asking if we truly need to go after Rondo or another point guard next year (ok, it was just me questioning it, but seriously: do we really want Rondo?).
Lakers are in a rare situation where they are favored over the opposing team. Phil Jackson’s New York Knicks are the worst team in the league. With Carmelo Anthony done for the rest of the year, trades of JR Smith and Iman Shumpert, and the buy-out Amar’e Stoudemire, the Knicks best players are center Andrea Bargnani and recent acquisition Alexey Shved. Unless Derek Fisher gets his team to play out of their mind to help him win one on his old floor, the Lakers should be able to win against the worst team in the NBA. The Lakers need to play with the same effort they showed against the Pistons.
So where does this leave fans whom like to watch the team win but understand the reality of the lottery? The Lakers are currently the fourth worst team in the NBA with 17 wins. Orlando is fifth with 21 wins. Sacramento (22), Detroit (23) and Denver (24) are not far behind (or ahead depending on how you see things). Orlando’s schedule through the end of March is more difficult than the Lakers schedule so a Lakers’ win against the Knicks will be dangerous to their efforts to keep their top 5 pick.
Where you can watch: 7:30pm start time on TWC Sportsnet. Also listen at ESPN Radio 710 Los Angeles.
bryan S. says
Darius on twiiter: “I mostly like watching the Rockets lose because of the pick they owe the Lakers.” Awesome. Exactly my sentiments.
Last thread: Lots of good discussion re: upcoming available FAs, most of which confirms just how key keeping our top five protected pick is: not a lot of great options.
Knicks: All but impossible to lose to these guys. BS would have to bench Boozer, Lin, Ellington. Start Sacre, Black, Kelly, Clarkson and Jabari Brown. I wish.
Clarkson: Moving up on several rookie rank ladders. Should continue to climb.
Tank fight: Likely to come down to a battle with Orlando for the 4th spot. Vujevic is back in the lineup, they should win a few soon. Looking past the Knicks, Lakers should lose on Sunday and the back to back on Monday.
Todd says
bleedpurplegold: Regarding the posts on the last thread. You are correct about Beal, however, I stand by my comments on the other players.
My bias is towards younger players as they have a longer window to compete and their salary is, for the most part, going towards their upside. I am leery of older free agents who although they may have wonderful statistics have a lot of miles on their bodies. I want to minimize the number of players on my roster that I am paying top dollar for the downside of their careers.
I’m not saying that you never pursue an elite 30 year old but you do so when that player puts you over the top. Last summer was a case in point — we went hard for Melo, who if we got him would have only made us competitive but not elite. That’s a crazy move in my mind and the franchise dodged a bullet as Melo is is starting to slide both from a health and performance perspective.
T. Rogers says
OT: Good piece on the godfather aka Pat Riley.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2392668-the-exclusive-pat-riley-qa-nbas-ultimate-lifer-fights-on-in-post-lebron-era
As for tonight’s game its always good to see Derek Fisher in Staples Center. Who knows, Phil might be in the building as well. It will be awkward, but still good to see.
Anon says
I have always wondered why Phill’s coaching “branches” have always turned out to be busts and why other like Pop, etc, have not. Given the track history of Phil’s disciples, Fisher has an uphill battle to become a successful coach. I wonder how effective Fish would be if he chose to abandon the triangle all together? I wonder if Phil would be an effective FO guy for a coach using system he does not like or approve of. Questions… questions.
Robert says
Anon: Phil is not the right coaching fit for a building scenario. He is the perfect guy to take a good team and make them a championship team. You would not want or need Phil to coach this year’s Lakers for example (or last year’s). Now when you were supposedly putting together the SI cover championship club of KB, DH, and Nash, then Phil was the right guy. Pop would not have done well with Kobe and Shaq. Pop may not have done well with MJ, and he certainly would have had difficulty with Dennis Rodman and Ron Artest. Bottom line is that both MJ and KB did not win until Phil’s arrival and he basically took the same teams that Del Harris and Doug Collins could not win with. Let’s see what Pop does when this group retires. While I will concede that he is a better ‘building” type coach, I would not foresee him building things back up where Phil’s 11 rings will be threatened. In fact it will most likely never be threatened. Phil will be another Laker on top on of all time list, just like KAJ will always lead in points and Wilt leads in rebounds, Phil will always lead in coaching rings. It is a good thing, and why many Laker fans do not see it as such amazes me. Phil is probably second only to Kobe in terms of how polarizing he is as a topic. As far as Phil in the FO – nobody knows – he is unproven.
TeamN says
Todd,
Appreciate the comments on Looney, good stuff. Interesting idea regarding a trade. I like Towns first, but fear he will be gone.
As a Bruin alum, I share your exasperation with the team. It is indicative, however, of the difficulties of big time college sports. Need a great coach with great recruiting skills and great recruiting assistants, but we know what that usually means…
Radius1238 says
Everyone ok with T Black starting the rest of the way?
Ko says
Wow Knicks starting lineup is the worst I have seen in 30 years. Phil is a genius.
Radius1238 says
Jabari Brown instant offense. clarkson and Brown joining the backcourt. Who sits more? Wayne or Jeremy?
Aaron says
Leanord is worth the Max.
Chibi says
Lakers with the upset!
Radius1238 says
I was so off on this preview. I should have talked about the Knicks high scoring offense. Hardaway Jr.’s marksmanship from 3.
Lakers didn’t have to worry about protecting their Lottery Pick at all.
rr says
Lost at home to a team that came in 12-51.
Byron Scott: Tanking Savant or Bumbling Idiot?
Check out FBG for the answer.
Baylor Fan says
This was certainly a must lose game for the Lakers and they did not disappoint. However, it was good to see Clarkson out there closing the game and getting more valuable experience. The losing will have to be fast and furious if the Lakers are to hold on to their pick this year.
Chibi says
In a do-over of the 2013 draft, Rudy Gobert would be the #1 pick.
Chris J says
I agree with much of your post, Robert, but calling Phil Jackson a “Laker on top of an all time list” is kind of a stretch considering he won the majority of his rings as coach of the Bulls.
VI Guy says
Ha, ha RR! “A tanking savant or bumbling idiot.”
It’s becoming pretty clear that Byron’s a three card monte sharper, w/ a spiel that claims every hand is winner, knowing full well he controls the cards…and the outcome will be yet another losing hand.
Beginning of the season, I thought Byron was sort of like that bulls**t uncle where about a third of the things he says are true, another third is made up on the spot, and the last third is straight up untruths just to mess with you. “Hey, if you’ll believe that, I’ll tell you another…”
But now I think his game is deeper than that.
the other Stephen says
lolcats.
Aaron says
… And by that I mean Leanord can be your third max player on your team. He isn’t a guy that is a dominant or willing one on one scorer/creator. But he is awesome at everything else. He is the SF version of Anthony Davis.
bryan S. says
Clutch loss. Way to start another streak.
Ko says
Very sure that the 5 foot hook shot over the glass by Ryan Jelly was the high point of Jim Bust and Bryon Rott’s careers with the Lakers.
Being the laughing stock on a team of D-leaguers seals that 4 billion dollar Time Warner deal as one of the great deals in sports history.
Nice job guys.
Aaron says
Sorry guys….last one. It’s hard to say he isn’t a dominant one on one scorer when he can score against LBJ. Maybe I should say he isn’t an interested acorer/creator.
bleedpurplegold says
@todd: i completly agree with your preference regarding younger players….however, younger players need some quality and seasoned vets as well in order to compete(see gsw with bogut and iggy)….as i have noted in the last thread, i wouldnt overpay them nor give them 4-5 year deals, just wanted to point out that there are better options coming up than monroe is, whom i consider a solid forward…but i belive he will not be worth a contract more than 7-8mill this upcoming offseason…in fact, i belive if hill keeps working on his offensive game during the upcoming offseason, he will be a better player than monroe currently is….already a better rebounder and defender, but he needs to get a real got-to move in the post and develop the set shot of his
can you belive shved of all people droped a doubledouble on us??? Great loss if you are a supporter of the tank, but hell i dont want to see a bargnani drop 16 on 10 shots on us….even worse, we were +18 on rebounds and still lost to the worst team in basketball….
Craig W. says
Unless a miracle happens we are not contending next year, so we should get that thought out of our heads.
With the above in mind, the increasing salary cap in 2016 is going to result in some players being severely overpaid this summer – i.e. the other option is a 1-yr deal and some other club will severely overpay. This means we again sign players to 1-yr deals and try to complete for them again next year, or concentrate on young players in the draft/still on their ‘rookie’ deals.
What this means is that signing veterans this year is going to be a very ‘iffy’ deal and you will pay dearly for peak performance on the downside of a career. Some of this is unavoidable and – given that we won’t compete for a championship next year – means big free-agents won’t be signing any long deals. Any deals we sign with veterans shouldn’t extend beyond the next CBA, in any case.
Complexity for the front office. Our simple fan view of things could cost us dearly and I fully expect some surprises from the front office that we are going to hate. Just keep in mind next year is a particularly curious year for NBA salaries.
Oldtimer says
Losing to the lowly Knicks, Lakers season is practically over, it is like watching basketball without any purpose, don’t know whether they intend to win or tank in order to preserve their high draft pick. Frankly, the roster is improving and becoming athletic, defense oriented with couple of miscues like had some occasional scattered brains in what to do with the ball in closing minutes. I guess they were instructed to forget passion to win in the last five minutes. provide entertainment for the first 43 minutes and turned into bunch of idiots running around, throwing the ball to opponents or do a kamikaze attack like what Lin does with an end in mind in creating or spoiling a Lakers rally. Bottom line, the team is a reflection of the owner, no objective, no passion and therefore no reward from this fan.
bleedpurplegold says
Great post oldtimer!
rr says
Our simple fan view of things
___________________
You might consider speaking only for yourself.
Most people here don’t appear to want the Lakers to sign any FAs who are 28 or over; most people are focusing on younger guys who are/could be quality starters, like Monroe, Middleton, Asik, and Harris (and in my personal case, Kanter).
The situation is not, actually, especially complex. The Lakers need to get some good-starter-level prime-age talent on the roster. Right now, they don’t have any, unless you want to count Clarkson. Since they have very few draft picks, they will probably need to overpay to add some of that talent, and then hope that the expanded cap, the brand, the market, and an improved roster infrastructure will give them the leverage and flexibility to get 1-3 stars in FA between 2016 and 2018.
So, conceptualizing what to do is easy. The execution is the hard part.
rr says
in fact, i belive if hill keeps working on his offensive game during the upcoming offseason, he will be a better player than monroe currently is….
—
Even if this were true (and there is almost no evidence for it) Hill will be 28 when the season starts next year, and Monroe will be 25, which is a huge difference. Also, Monroe has an outstanding durability record to date; he basically never misses a game. Monroe is worth a lot more than Hill is, and that will probably be borne out when they are both on the market.
Craig W. says
I repeat, next year is a curiously unique year – coming as it does before a monster increase in the salary cap and a new CBA to follow-on the next year; probably with a work-stoppage.
Things that might be reasonable will have a different hue in summer 2015 because of these two facts.
We need to keep all this in mind when moves are made that might seem to make no sense in any normal year. That, and only that, is what I am saying.
Vasheed says
@bleedpurplegold/todd,
There is a certain amount of a youth movement built into the Lakers next year. They could have as many as 4 draft picks next year.
!. The much discussed top 5 pick which goes to Philly if 6 or below.
2. Houston’s 1st round pick
3. The Lakers 2nd round pick Right now at pick 34.
4.The Clippers 2nd round pick which the Lakers get if the pick lands between 51-55 currently at 53. I know no one is losing sleep over this last pick but it is in play.
We will have Randle and Clarkson returning and as such the Lakers should be a fairly young team next year. Other likely guys coming back besides Kobe are in their mid to late 20’s. I’m not too worried about the age of free agent signings as long as they don’t sign a guy over 30 to a 4 year max deal which when looking at the guys the Lakers apparently almost did sign is a concern.
rr says
We need to keep all this in mind when moves are made that might seem to make no sense in any normal year.
—
Naw. The Lakers will either
a) Go after some young FAs to try to build up the talent base now.
or
b) Sign more disposable players to short deals, continuing to roll over cap space and sell the idea that the FO will make a series of gigantic scores in FA between 2016-18.
or
c) Make some unsound moves in a misguided effort to send Kobe out on a competitive team.
Or some combination thereof.
Macro-CBA issues certainly affect talent management decisions, but unless it is something specifically designed to save money, like OKC trading James Harden in 2013, they are less of an issue than you think they are. All teams obviously have to deal with the CBA, but an individual team’s decisions are based on that team’s needs, not on the CBA.
Calvin Chang says
Agreed with Aaron: Kawhi is a max player. SF version on Anthony Davis. Good job by Byron on the tank. I disagree with Aaron’s view here – the best way to ensure a loss is to make sure Lin and Davis are on the bench in the last 6 minutes of the game. They’re flawed in skills but big on heart. That can lead to inadvertent wins. Clarkson is still figuring things out and is not yet a closer at this point. Hopefully more sessions with Nashty will give JC the poise to make the right decisions during closing time.
George says
bleedpurplegold: I’m not Todd but I think I get where he is coming from. The Lakers are essentially starting from scratch – we are as devoid of talent, promise and hope as any team in the league.
I agree that since we have nothing let’s put together a young talented core that has a long time horizon to win. This gives the core a chance to develop and the FO time to assemble necessary assets (picks, more young talent and cap space) to fill in around them.
Signing older players say 28+ or 30+ helps in the here and now but immediately shortens the opportunity window of the team. If Clarkson, Randle, top 5 pick are all 22 or younger signing a 30 year old, no matter how elite they are, doesn’t make us a championship team. All it does is put pressure on the FO to make additional changes to accelerate the talent on the team to match the shorter window of the elite FA so the dollars spent on that player are not wasted.
Why would we do that? Well the answer is we shouldn’t. But many of us here are very concerned that Jim doesn’t see things this way. As Craig W. has mentioned what if Jim looks at FA signings or trades not in Basketball terms but Marketing terms? FO supporters always disagree with this but his track record is very mixed. The trade for a young Chris Paul is countered by a trade for a 38 year old Steve Nash. A trade for a young DHoward is countered by signing Kobe for too much money for too many years. Plus you have last summer’s wooing of a declining Melo.
Does the FO have the patience to develop a young core and smartly build around them? I don’t know, I hope so.
Oldtimer says
Craig W.,
“Unless a miracle happens we are not contending next year, so we should get that thought out of our heads.”
Maybe what you are saying is true but that is a defeatist attitude to represent Los Angeles with that mind set. Even in the corporate world, that statement is not acceptable to stockholders or customers suddenly you hit the cul de sac road because of the new environment. I’m sure you are familiar to what happened to Kodak or Radio Shack when they refused to innovate and think outside of their yesterday’s success. When a budding actor is auditioning and he is not good enough, you know the consequences. It is part of the deal being in LA, you got to perform, produce or else get out and give the role to another person. What would be the strong reason why Lakers should be handicapped for several years that started during Brown hire? Fans pay their dues and create fund to spend for the team; the place is most comfortable arena in NBA, the team has a proven history of making at least above .500. What happened to Lakers basketball common sense? We wait for draft picks to blossom and put all our bets on them, is that the Lakers team we have envisioned in the future heavily dependent on draft picks alone?
Anonymous says
Hi Robert: I think you misunderstood my questions. Phil is retired from coaching, so my question was more or less about whether he is a good FO guy for any coach that does not preach the triangle. In other words, is he building a team for a triangle coach and, if so, what happens if Fisher is fired or quits? Could he build a contender based on a coaching philosophy he does not agree with? That is my question with respect to Phil; its a question about the future and not the past.
The same for Fish. At what point does he decide to cut his losses and switch to another coaching philosophy if the team he is coaching is not built to carry the triangle?
Anon says
Oldtimer – The rules of the NBA have changed since the 80s. We may not like it, but the collective bargaining agreement is designed to encourage teams to draft carefully and then grow AND keep their draft picks, while at the same time offering financial disincentives to players to walk away from teams that drafted them. The “old” model of contending via free agency alone may be dead. I hate this. In a perfect world, to me, players should get paid whatever the market will bear. However, the NBA hates this idea. But there is nothing that we, as fans, can do about it.
Craig W. says
Yes, we are the Lakers. No, we can’t operate on different rules than do any other NBA team. Yes, we have advantages others don’t. Yes, we have pressures some of the other clubs don’t have.
No, we are not contending next year – unless a miracle happens. I am all for miracles, but I am not going to bet my company on them. A signing like Kobe’s has only two real purposes: 1) to keep fans in their seats and 2) to tell FAs that the Lakers will take care of their players. The Lakers can gather attention other clubs would ‘kill’ for because of things like this. The loyalty strategy doesn’t pay off immediately and will only show fruit when we are neck-and-neck with another club for a player – attn: we weren’t in this situation with Carmelo.
The front office should have a strategy that contains a number of alternatives – not everything works out as planned (see Chris Paul). In none of those scenarios do I see real profit in signing an older max free-agent for 4 years, unless they will pull fans into the seats long after Kobe is gone – ala Lebron James.
I just think this summer is going to be difficult because of fan pressure to improve immediately and the fact that a number of clubs will over-pay players based on the anticipated rise in the salary cap the following year. This is the reason I think we may see some apparently strange moves by the Laker front office.
Oh yes! The upcoming CBA puts pressure not to sign players for longer than 2-3 years (having the contract expire during a ‘strike year’ may be a strategy).
Oldtimer says
Anon,
I have no problem with that and all teams are bound by the rules and caps space. The only problem Lakers have next year is Kobe but I don’t consider him as a problem because he is considered an oldie marquee player who has all the motivations to win. Secondly, Lakers are rich they can afford luxury taxes but can’t afford to have the persona of a loser.
The way I look at it, this team can compete with the addition of two good veterans FA’s preferably a PG and C plus the incoming 1st rd d/ps one one 2nd. The latter three, no matter what their names are: they are rookies with minimum help on the first season. I think Lin, Davis and Boozer are improving and can be re-signed at the right price. I don’t know with Young, Kelly, Price and Johnson. Hill is overpriced at 9M. At that right mix, this team could go to next year’s playoffs at 4 or 5th seed in the West. What I’m saying and also other posters, our team can’t keep on tanking every season and desperately believe our players are all dumb! They have all the tools needed as you can see they can beat the top contenders and lost only by few points in so many 4th Q meltdown. Therefore, they need confidence, camaraderie from a leader, honing skills set this summer and stability of their tenure as a Laker. If Mavs and Rockets can do it with their roster, I think Lakers can do it better next season.
Anonymous says
Radius123-The Lakers are challenging to assess this season. So, no harm, no foul.
I’m intrigued by second-generation players Tim Hardaway Jr., Steph Curry, Kobe Bryant, Klay Thompson, Wesley Matthews, Al Horford, Jabari Parker, Andrew Wiggins, et.al. In most cases, the sons basketball IQ, work ethic, and knowledge to avoid the traps other NBA players capitulate to makes them reliable candidates for a team. There are several college players whose fathers played in the league UC Davis has 6’3” SR Corey Hawkins son of Hersey Hawkins. Avery Johnson is 6’3” SR whose game is quick and out of control with no discernible offensive skills and minimum effort on the defensive end. Hawkins leads the nation in 3pt shooting at 48.7%, he can shoot it on the move and with a hand in his face, he should make someone’s NBA roster. Another player that’s a lock to make a team is Arvydas Sabonis’ son Domantas at Gonzaga. He’s a freshman off the bench for Coach Few’s perennial powerhouse team. This kid is 18 with decent low post moves, rebounding, and defense. At this point, he’ll never be confused as a stretch anything and has a long ways to go to gain his father’s offensive acumen. Domantas plays with an edge, which will transfer nicely to the NBA in the post.
I’d like the Lakers to look for a second-generation NBA player to join the team as a player if they fit a need. Players in division 1 colleges that have yet to build a reputation based on their games are Ralph Sampson III, James Dunleavy, Marcus Jordan, Jeremiah Rivers, Luke Sikma, and Renaldo Woolridge et.al.
Kevin says
Craig W. A signing like Kobe’s has only two real purposes: 1) to keep fans in their seats and 2) to tell FAs that the Lakers will take care of their players.
__
I know that Jeanie Buss uses the “to tell FAs that the Lakers will take care of their players’ as a spin move to rationalize the Kobe extension. However, In my mind the fact that two Hall of Fame bigs (Howard and Pau) left significant amounts of money on the table to get away from the Lakers is more telling. I haven’t heard Jeanie spin an answer in response to that one yet.
Anonymous says
I’m intrigued by second-generation players Tim Hardaway Jr., Steph Curry, Kobe Bryant, Klay Thompson, Wesley Matthews, Al Horford, Jabari Parker, Andrew Wiggins, et.al. In most cases, the sons basketball IQ, work ethic, and knowledge to avoid the traps other NBA players capitulate to makes them reliable candidates for a team. There are several college players whose fathers played in the league UC Davis has 6’3” SR Corey Hawkins son of Hersey Hawkins. Avery Johnson is 6’3” SR whose game is quick and out of control with no discernible offensive skills and minimum effort on the defensive end. Hawkins leads the nation in 3pt shooting at 48.7%, he can shoot it on the move and with a hand in his face, he should make someone’s NBA roster. Another player that’s a lock to make a team is Arvydas Sabonis’ son Domantas at Gonzaga. He’s a freshman off the bench for Coach Few’s perennial powerhouse team. This kid is 18 with decent low post moves, rebounding, and defense. At this point, he’ll never be confused as a stretch anything and has a long ways to go to gain his father’s offensive acumen. Domantas plays with an edge, which will transfer nicely to the NBA in the post.
I’d like the Lakers to look for a second-generation NBA player to join the team if they fit a need. Players in division 1 colleges that have yet to build a reputation based on their games are Ralph Sampson III, James Dunleavy, Marcus Jordan, Jeremiah Rivers, Luke Sikma, and Renaldo Woolridge et.al.
Robert says
Anon: I stated that Phil is unproven as a FO guy. This is true with or without the triangle. So the first question is whether Phil can get talent and succeed in the FO at all and the jury is out. As far as the Triangle. It is the most successful innovation in the modern history of the NBA. Phil has 11 rings to prove it. It (like any offense) needs talent to win. In fact if you have a lack of talent (see Knicks), then the Triangle becomes a liability. Obviously the Knicks plan is to put the offense in place, get it established and then add the talent. If they do not do the later, they will be terrible. Many are ready to write off the Triangle, just like they are ready to write off big men, and write off superstars. According to some the new league will be balanced, superstarless teams who run up and down heaving threes. I do not think so. I do think the league is evolving, but I still think superstars will rule. If the Knicks fail I think it will be because of a lack of talent, not because of the Triangle. Either way – Phil will be gone, because he is not the son of the legendary owner and he won’t be able to set his own timetable.
Oldtimer says
Sad day in LA, quintessential sports broadcaster Joe “Nasty” McDonnel passed away at age 58 this afternoon. He is a household Laker and Dodger fan and a great sportscaster. We offer our prayers and sympathies to the family.
Craig W. says
Oldtimer, sorry to hear Joe has passed. I always enjoyed his commentary and combativeness. Not sure his health was always the best, but he will be missed.
Glad we got to know ya Joe.
Baylor Fan says
Joe was never afraid to tell it like it was. He always had the back story and was not too timid to share it. RIP.
BigCitySid says
For those who are interested or feel there’s a reason: “Lakers coach Byron Scott will soon make a move that Jeremy Lin supports. Scott plans to start Lin at point guard, likely with 10 games left in the season. The timing is not definitive. The Lakers (17-46) will host the Atlanta Hawks (51-14) on Sunday at Staples Center featuring Jordan Clarkson at point guard for the 22nd consecutive start. The Lakers will also feature Wayne Ellington (shooting guard), Wesley Johnson (small forward), Jordan Hill (power forward) and Tarik Black (center), a lineup that has started for the past three contests.”
LA Daily News Blog
Read more at http://www.insidehoops.com/nba_rumors.shtml#EAdlTAIWsHyxmjwb.99