Los Angeles Lakers vs Golden State WarriorsMon Mar 16, 10:30 PM EST – CSBy, TWSN Line: GS -18.0, O/U: 208.0 ORACLE Arena – Oakland, CA Recent Matchups |
|
Ranks
|
Latest Results |
Leaders
|
|
|
Ranks
|
Latest Results |
Leaders
|
|
Based on opponent’s record, the Lakers are on the 2nd night of the most difficult back to back in the league. It’s not just that the Hawks — who, even though they rested three starters beat the Lakers fairly easily — and the Warriors have their respective conference’s best records, they have the two best records in the entire league.
If you were hoping for some reprieve tonight, like the Hawks “provided” in the form of rested starters I have some bad news for you. While the Warriors rested half their rotation against the Nuggets on Friday, they played their full squad against the Knicks and, since this is a home game, will likely do the same tonight against the Lakers.
In other words…
And I don’t mean for the Warriors. With that, I don’t need to go on and on, here. So, instead, a couple of personnel related storylines heading into tonight:
- Byron Scott is adjusting his starting lineup again — inserting Jeremy Lin for rookie Jordan Clarkson. It’s not that Clarkson has played poorly (though he has run into a wall with his shooting the last few games), but more that Lin has played very well since coming back from the all-star break. Maybe it was not being traded or maybe he’s “thinking less” as his coach would say. Or, maybe, he’s just having a nice streak that is assisted by him running more P&R. Fact is, he deserves some extra burn and it’s worth exploring if he can play at this same level when going up against team’s starters.
- Nick Young’s knee is still bothering him so he will receive a CT scan to see if more can be determined about the swelling that won’t subside. Depending on what is (or is not) found, Young may not play for the rest of the year.
- With Young out the Lakers called up guard Jabari Brown from their D-League affiliate, the D-Fenders. Brown played on the Lakers summer league team and also had a camp invite before being one of the final cuts when the regular season roster was finalized. Brown signed a 10-day contract and will get his last game before the contract is up tonight. Add to that the fact Brown is from Oakland and it’s a big game for the rookie who will be looking to play well in front of friends and family while also hoping to catch on for a 2nd 10-day contract.
Where you can watch: 7:30pm start time on TWC Sportsnet. Also listen on ESPN Radio 710AM Los Angeles.
Calvin Chang says
I hope it’s entertaining, but this will most probably be a blowout. Aaron definitely approves 🙂
Tom Gardner says
Is Lin really starting tonight?
Mark Sigal says
There has been chatter about Nick Young, and Byron Scott was talking just a week ago about him having a bad season. That’s obviously more than a health comment. Does anyone know what is really going on with Nick Young and Byron Scott/Lakers?
the other Stephen says
🙂 http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2399354-lakers-jeremy-lin-chases-down-warriors-draymond-green-for-emphatic-block
Rubenowski says
For Aaron!
Come on, we can drop this one. Don’t scare us by hanging in there with the best team in the west. We really need that pick.
LKK says
I love the way the Lakers are competing tonight. I’m about sick of Golden State and I think the Lakers are too. Some old school hard fouls against the Dubs wouldn’t make me angry.
CHearn says
All the Lakers need is starters. Good game by the entire team!
Craig W. says
Lin is not a starter in this league. The turnovers simply kill his game and he has to be playing against the 2nd team because of this. I think he makes up his mind about a pass and then tries to find space. This seems to result in turnovers all too frequently. If the space is there you pass the rock, not the other way around.
KenOak says
What a wonderful game! Very competitive and an L in the end. Everyone wins!
Reggie Hammond says
I don’t believe in the warriors like a lot of fans do…what’s the consensus on this site? Championship bound or 2nd/3rd round KO?
Craig W. says
I don’t think a game against the Lakers says much about Golden State. It is hard for any team to take bottom-feeders seriously – remember when we used to get upset by teams at the bottom of the league standings in years gone by? This is particularly true at home, where they may feel they can win by just showing up. Remember, the Lakers are playing team basketball and they are playing hard. They just don’t have the talent – their bench is their starters.
Having said that, I do think the Warriors have to be at their best to win against the really good teams. The thing is, their depth may take a toll on good teams over a 7-game series, as they can put a number of combinations of players on the floor that will give other starters, never mind the bench, problems. The key is Bogut. If I were Golden State, the team I would really hate to face over a long series is the Grizzlies.
the other Stephen says
Well, it was nice seeing General Walton on the bench for the Dubs.
J C says
Good, entertaining and competitive game by the Lakers.
If I really wanted wins, I’d be concerned about their play in the last five minutes of every close game. Tonight it was a turnover parade.
They can’t seem to close any game out.
Maybe it’s just a lack of talent, but they say that coaching shows up at the end of close games. The Lakers’ record in close games, I believe, is awful.
I like watching Steph Curry play.
I think the Warriors do have a legitimate chance to go all the way.
Renato Afonso says
I also think that they have a chance of winning the championship. I agree that a matchup with the Grizzlies is their worst nightmare but maybe they won’t have to face them. They are good and fun to watch. Like I said in the previous post, if they faced the Hawks in the Finals it would be very entertaining. And I still love watching Shaun Livingston play. Such a shame that he was drafted by the Clippers and had that freak injury.
On us, really good effort even if from an X’s and O’s standpoint I don’t see any improvement. We made contested shots and that’s what kept us in the game…
Robert says
Playoffs/Warriors: The playoffs are supposedly wide open this year. I made a similar bet that I make (usually win) every year. I took Cleveland, SA, and GS vs. the field for the title. I took GS only because I was given a third team. They are not playoff proven. I think the odds that either Cleveland or SA wins the title are about 65%+. Of course I have already started my rooting campaign against the Spurs even though they play in such a “wonderful/professional way”. PS: People who have become Laker fans in the last 5 years do not understand this. I hate the Spurs.
Salary Cap: Having the cap go way up is not good for us. If the cap stays down, only some teams will have money to spend (we will be one). If the cap goes way up, everyone has money to spend. Simple economics. The Lakers do not want inflation.
Todd says
I watched the Thunder/Bulls game Sunday. Due to injuries neither of these teams will challenge for the best record in their respective divisions. So even though I was not watching the best of the league I was still amazed at the talent level on the respective teams. It made me realize that the Lakers are really at square 1 in getting back to the top.
OKC is currently sitting at 8th is the West. They will be a headache for any top four seed unlucky enough to draw them in the 1st Round. For grins, I did a quick summary of their roster and where the talent came from:
1) Steven Adams, age 21, drafted 1st round/12th pick
2) D.J. Augustine, age 27, drafted 1st round/9th pick (by Charlotte)
3) Nick Collison, age 34, drafted 1st round/12th pick
4) Kevin Durant, age 26, drafted 1st round/2nd pick
5) Serge Ibaka, age 25 drafted 1st round/ 24th pick
6) Perry Jones, age 23, drafted 1st round/28th pick
7) Enes Kanter, age 22, drafted 1st round/3rd pick (by Utah)
8) Jeremy Lamb, age 22, drafted 1st round/12th pick (by Houston)
9) Mitch McGary, age 22, drafted 1st round/21st pick
10) Anthony Morrow, age 29, undrafted
11) Steve Novak, age 31, drafted 2nd round (by Houston)
12) Andre Robertson, age 23, drafted 1st round/26th pick (by Min)
13) Kyle Singler, age 26, drafted 2nd round (by Det)
14) Dion Waiters, age 23, drafted 1st round/4th pick (by CLV)
15) Russell Westbrook, age 26, drafted 1st round/4th pick
Even though OKC is a unique story they are amazing. What strikes me about their roster is a) how young they are; b) they have 7 top 12 draft picks; c) I don’t believe there is a FA signing among them – just good drafting and shrewd trades (even counting the mistake of trading Harden).
I’m not saying the Lakers should follow this road map (although it’s possible that Randle and our top 5 pick may become our corner stone superstars). What I am pointing out is that in order to compete the Lakers will need to assemble this level of talent across their roster. The reality is that there are no quick fixes — the Lakers have dug themselves into a talent hole and they won’t get out of it easily.
The other issue I want to emphasize is that age does matter. OKC has been a serious contender for the last 5 years and if they retain KD and Westbrook they can be competitive for another 4+ years (or until KD’s foot gives out or Westbrook runs his body into the ground). That is virtually a 10 year window of competing at a very high level. They can also reset their window by trading either of their superstars for even younger assets.
The point being: a young team can have a very long horizon. I hope our FO keeps this in mind as we head into this off season and especially next summer when the cap increases dramatically (and the temptation to sign older FAs along with it).
rr says
Golden State is 1st in ORTG, 3rd in DRTG, has a double-digit point differential, and has a guy who is one the best 5-8 players in the game. So, while there are some unusual markers about their team historically (best player is a small guy, rookie coach) most teams with that kind of baseline profile have, at least, made the Finals.
Memphis, as noted, would be a tough matchup for them on the offensive side of the ball, since Allen could be used to check Thompson, and for other reasons. But I would question whether Memphis could score enough to beat Golden State four times.
George says
@ Todd – Good write up. Yes, OKC and other playoff bound teams do have significantly more talent than our Lakers – beginning with at least two elite players on the squad. Take last night, the Warriors have Curry and Thompson then you begin to add at least 5 or so front line payers to their roster beyond that.
—
I was listening to 570, yesterday with Petros and Money. The topic was the increase in the cap expected for the 2016/17 season. The cap could go up anywhere from 20 – 30 million dollars for every team. Now, they pointed out that not every team would use all of the cap space but that many teams (2/3 of the league) would. That means that the Lakers won’t just be competing against a few teams that happened to plan ahead and create cap space for a run at a specific player – they’ll be competing against likely 20 teams for FA talent.
So a team like OKC, which is at the cap threshold now can sign a max FA or maybe two. A team like GS, who is capped out right now could sign a max player. In other words the Lakers will be forced to sell a vision that the FA can be part of but other teams will already be elite or near elite and can sell a championship.
Yes, I do have concerns because depending on what the Lakers can do this off season they may not be much better next year despite having a young core of Randle/Top 5 Pick/Clarkson. SO by 2016/17 the FO may be desperate make a splash. What happens if we don’t have a compelling enough roster to attract someone like a KD (assuming he is not wooing another elite to join the abundance of talent in OKC). What if we’re left to choose among older near elites? We could be forced to make bad decisions just to stop the bleeding.
Aaron says
Let’s hope the Lakers can tank as well as the Spurs…
As Knicks Hope to Find, Spurs Still Winning After Season They’d Rather Forget
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2295786-as-knicks-hope-to-find-spurs-still-winning-after-season-theyd-rather-forget
Robert says
Aaron: Yes – they did tank well. Isn’t it enough that we have to listen to the comments of how they “play the right way” Now – you are going to chant that they “tank the right way” : ) That is OK though – above – rr is guaranteeing me that SA will not make the Finals : )
Todd: To your point about younger stars: Just look at the wall. We drafted Jerry, Gail, Elgin, and Magic. We obtained Mikan in year 1 of 10; Shaq in year 5 of 19; obtained KAJ in year 7 of 20; and J Wilkes in year 4 of 12. We did a draft day trade for Kobe. The main exception is Wilt. He was added late in his career to get us a title with Jerry and Gail. We have 16 titles in 31 trips to the Finals. The number times we have made the Finals with a team that did not have a superstar who started his career with the Lakers would be Zero.
George: Like I said above – we do not want the cap to expand significantly Given our streak of luck however- it probably will.
Mid-Wilshire says
Todd,
I like your post. This emphasizes something that I said several weeks back — that teams, in order to compete, most go through three (3) overlapping stages:
1) Acquiring talent;
2) Developing talent (especially the younger players); and
3) Molding them into a team.
What your post indicates, rightly so, is that Goplden State has already gone through stages 1 and 2 and are now in the third stage — molding a team and putting a stamp on the way they play basketball. (Kudos to Steve Kerr for that.)
The Lakers are in Stage #1. So far, they have two, maybe three players that they can use to build a core for the future: Jordan Clarkson, Julius Randle, and (possibly) Tarik Black. After this summer, they may have another 2-3 rookies from the draft (hopefully) plus another, say, 2 FAs. That could get them up to 6-8 players for the building of their core. They may very well still be in the market for another 1 or 2 impact players after that.
That means that we’ll be in both stages i and 2 for the next 2, and possibly even 3, years. After that, once the core is in place (imagine a lineup of Karl-Anthony Towns, Tobias Harris, Julius Randle, Jordan Clarkson, and 2 or 3 other strong, young veterans in 3 years), then they’ll be ready to start molding themselves into a serious contender. Afterall, in 3 years Julius Randle will only be 23. Jordan Clarkson will be all of 25. Hopefully, there’ll have some veterans, too, through Free Agency who can lend maturity and wisdom to the squad.
My point is simple: it takes time. Golden State is 4 years ahead of us. GS has been very smart. Now they’re very good. But it all takes time. Looking at this as a 5-year plan — as I’ve suggested before — is all very reasonable…and realistic.
bryan S. says
Aaron/Robert: The Spurs have been at the cutting edge for a very long time. They were the original big-time tankers, losing to win the Tim Duncan sweepstakes. I hate them for that, and I hate the league even more for being tanking enablers. I root aggressively for losses, all the while filled with loathing.
Clarkson’s drive: Did anyone else notice that Clarkson was whacked on the arm on his drive to the basket in the waning moments? No foul called, plain as day on the replay. Jon Barry, laker hater that he is, watches the replay and says “Clarkson was trying to get contact.” Yeah.
Wesley Johnson: Is this guy on the tank? No, not really but he is an awfully clutch crunch-time bumbler. He should always be on the floor in a close finish.
Warriors can beat: Mavericks, Clippers, Rockets, Blazers.
Warriors could lose to: Grizzlies, Spurs, OKC with Durant.
OKC wins the West if Durant is mostly healthy. Too much size, depth, skill and two top five players.
LKK says
Wow, just heard the bad news about Jack Haley. Gone at age 51, apparently due to heart disease. Former player and broadcaster for the Lakers. He always seemed to have such a great zest for life. RIP.
dxmanners says
Hope Randle is tall enough, or can shoot well enough to step out and hit an 18 footer. Still think he’ll be more of a Charles Barkley than a Zach Randolph.
Clarkson is a two guard. Get in the gym this summer and shoot, shoot, shoot…Maybe some Byron Scott will rub off on him.
Hopefully Lakers keep their pick and get a big, and draft a young point with their later pick.
Only three years left on Nick Young’s contract. I should live so long…
What would it take to get Stu Lantz out of the broadcast booth? He mails it in every night, any insight he had once upon a time now just seems tired. Same schtick over and over.
rr says
I met Haley once way BITD at UCLA, and he was very nice to me and other people around. Bummer that he is gone at 51.
rr says
As Knicks Hope to Find, Spurs Still Winning After Season They’d Rather Forget
—
New York 104, San Antonio 100 F (OT)
Popovich is probably just trying to keep Phil from getting the #1 pick..
Aaron says
Pop just loves to stick it to Phil whenever he can. Which makes sense as Phil got the best of Pop in most of their playoff matches.
J C says
Jack Haley gone?
Wow so sad.
I met him several times, very funny and colorful.
Life is short, my friends.
Ask not for whom the bell tolls.
It tolls for thee.
teamn says
Wow, hard to believe Jack Haley passed away. I was at UCLA during the same time frame and vaguely remember him playing. A few other marginal NBA players along with Reggie Miller during those years.
Kevin says
It’s quite possible that Clarkson is a third guard/6th man. He’s not a pure point and I worry about his effectiveness going up against most of the starting SGs in the league if he’s forced to play the Two. I have no issue, if the Bigs are off the board, when the Lakers pick that we go for one of the PGs with our top 5 pick.
Additionally, if we are fortunate enough to get Towns or Okafor, it really wouldn’t bother me to select one of the young restricted FA guards available (Jackson or Knight) — even if it pushes Clarkson to a third guard role. Like Todd outlined above, we truly are bereft of talent and if we are going to dip into free agency to bridge the gap (which we certainly will have to do) I would prefer the FO to acquire younger players.
Shaun says
If Jerian Grant is around when we have our 2nd 1st that could be a good guard to target later in the draft
bryan S. says
dx: I think Randle has more Barkley than Randolph to his game too. And that is very good. A big difference with both Barkley and Randolph will be defensively, as Randle has excellent lateral quickness.
Also, please see the modern definition of a point guard: Westbrook, Rose, Wall, Dragic etc. Attackers, scorers and creators. That’s Clarkson, man. . .
Shaun: bpa with the Houston pick. That said, we need floor spacing shooting. Sam Dekker, small forward 6’9″, athletic, shoots the three and can put it on the floor. Not sure he’ll be there though. At this point in the draft team needs are in play, so guys may rise or drop depending on need.
Shaun says
I gotta say, im excited to start watching all the players these next few weeks .. saw the Notre Dame UNC game and grant was awesome in that one but last year I saw cleanthony early and thought he would be great but he has kind of stunk in the NBA .. it seems to always be a crapshoot … I mean adam morrison
LKK says
I’ve been keeping an eye on both of Kentucky’s big men. I like Cauley-Stein a lot, too. He can really run, is a strong rim protector and plays the pick and roll very well. He is very comfortable defending guards out on the perimeter after switching on the pick and roll. He’s long and shows decent perimeter skills on offense. He reminds me a lot of Tyson Chandler, but I think he has more offensive upside. Cauley-Stein will need to bulk up to withstand the pounding in the pros. If I’m the Lakers and the consensus top two bigs are off the board and WCS is available, I’d think long and hard about him,
Aaron says
Big Philly win!!!!
CHearn says
Yes, Aaron!
Nick Young with a knee fracture. No wonder Nick lost his Swag.
J C says
Going on record – I’m prepared to amend some of my earlier comments re: Clarkson.
It seems his rookie production has measured up pretty well against his first-year peers.
Very athletic and his work ethic seems good. A decent jump shot too.
My concern is merely that his attitude seems a bit more of that of a 2 guard than a 1.
I realize the new breed of PG is in the Westbrook mold, but Westbrook is exceptional.
I believe the best PGs are truly unselfish and are ‘pass-first.’
In any case, the Laker pickup of Clarkson from WA for cash seems to have been a fairly savvy move by the FO. Just sayin.
Vasheed says
I’m cautiously optimistic about the future of the Lakers. They can have as many as 4 draft picks this year, I believe a capable group of back up players from this year, and add 2 or more quality free agents and while maybe not a championship team it will be infinetly better then this year’s team.
However, I believe this protected status of this year’s draft pick has been the most demoralizng aspect of this year then I could have ever imagined. Not only is the team losing but if they should happen to put a good game together and win it is against the future of the team. It is a situation where losing is losing and winning is losing with no uplifting morale victories to tide the loses.
Looking at the schedule ahead I can only imagine the conundrum the Sixers games will pose. If the Lakers lose those games they could very well catapult themselves into the 3rd place draft position. If they win they could edge very close to losing their draft pick entirely. These are games I could see potentially changing the way the lottery is run. As an earlier point, I don’t see it going away but I think protected picks can be more demoralizing then the protection is worth.
J C says
Vasheed, well put, and if the Lakers are fortunate enough to garner 4 selections in the draft,
and also sign two FAs in the summer, an interesting result of these events will be elevated expectations next season.
This would indeed place Byron in the hot seat.
He has shown he can lose wonderfully and imaginatively, with a deeply flawed roster.
Next: can he win, with better players?
CHearn says
If the Lakers somehow manage to retain the four picks, I do hope the Lakers look for a utility player. One that plays defense, rebounds, can bring the ball up the court and make a solid pass, generate offense, and create his shot. In other words, a player with a high basketball IQ for the sum of the game. That’s why I like Michigan States 6’5” Denzel Valentine; Draft Express has him slated for the 48th pick. My favorite is J.P. Tokoto, a 6’6” player with a 6’10” wingspan out of the University of North Carolina; Draft Express has him going around draft position no. 25. Both players are 21 from good programs and should be glue players in the NBA.
Anon says
Keep in mind guys that the cap is going up significantly after next season, which means that all teams will have some cap space to play around with. So, I think the smart advice for any player with a player option is to NOT opt out this year. This means, quiete possibly, no Lebron, no Kevin Love, no Dragic, etc. It could also mean that certain free agents may be willing to take a 1 year deal and wait for the cap space to open up next year. So set your expectations accordingly.
Having said that, I really hope Marc Gasol and D Jordan are included in our list of “must try to have” targets this offseason – and I hope each is willing to sit down with the team to at least hear a pitch.
bryan S. says
My concern is merely that his attitude seems a bit more of that of a 2 guard than a 1.
I realize the new breed of PG is in the Westbrook mold, but Westbrook is exceptional.
I believe the best PGs are truly unselfish and are ‘pass-first.’
The best way to win now is with a ball movement offense. The last thing you want is a ball dominant, high usage guy–whether he scores first or passes first is secondary. Westbrook is the former, Chris Paul the latter. Both great players, but an offense where the ball is always moving to the open man wins out. (Warriors, Spurs, Hawks.) So, a guy like Clarkson who can attack off the dribble, collapse the defense and move the ball for better opportunities is the ticket. Equal parts scorer/passer. He can also play off the ball, as Curry does very effectively. The key to make it all work is a team of capable shooters/willing passers.
Relatedly: If the Lakers end up with (and keep) the fifth pick, they should take a look at Mario Hezjona. This guy can really shoot and is an exceptionally athletic two-way potential player. 6’8″ 2 guard.( Draft Express has good footage.) We could have an exceptional back court if he was paired with Clarkson.
Todd says
Anon: Marc Gasol is a very longshot. Let’s just say that there was a reason Pau left money on the table to get away from the Lakers. Perhaps our FO might have played their ‘Pau hand’ a little better if they wanted his brother to be a Laker.
Another concern with Marc is that he’s 30 and wants to win now. The Lakers are at least three years away. Makes no sense to sign a player that will surely be on his downside when the team is ready to compete.
Anon says
Excellent point Todd. I forgot about his age.
Shaun says
Im liking this shannon scott guy on ohio state … reminds me of mike conley who also went there ….not seeing the big deal with dangelo russel even though reggie is pimping him up
R says
JC asks can (Byron) win, with better players (like we may see next year).
Well, I hope he gets the chance to show us just that. He’s coached teams to the playoffs and even The Finals (twice). Even won coach of the year what seems like a lifetime ago.
So, yeah, the question may be, does he have anything left in the tank?
Brandon Burkhart says
As a Spurs fan, I find it endlessly amusing that y’all are so mad about the Spurs “tanking” in 1996. For one thing, that was a loooonnnnnng time ago. And what part of DAVID ROBINSON BROKE HIS FOOT don’t y’all understand? It’s not like having Tim Duncan is all you need to guarantee 5 championships. Having LeBron didn’t give the Cavs any rings and having Durant hasn’t gotten OKC to the title (yet). A lot of other hard work and brilliance went into making the Spurs a winner. Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker were absolute nobodies that the Spurs crafted into stars. Your Lakers fleeced Shaq, Kobe, and Gasol from other teams, which is just as, or even more lucky than the Spurs having a sucky team 19 years ago.